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LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
PRINCETON. N. J. | 


PRESENTED BY 


Taber aus iy Corns ee 


or 3 t Se ey PORE 
prs i” ‘> 5 — 
Division. kp. a 


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SERIES OF TWELVE ARTICLES INTRODUCTOR' 
Re TO THE STUDY, OR): nity 


‘THE BAHAY TEACHINGS 


ih 








This edition of fifteen hundred volumes is intended for 
public libraries, to be distributed gratis by the Bahai Library 
Committee. Librarians of public libraries wishing copies will 
kindly apply to. 


The Baha’i Library Committee, 
. P.O. Box 1319, 
WASHINGTON, D. C. 

USA; 








_ INTRODUCTORY TO THE STUDY OF 


_ THE BANA’! TEACHINGS 


Treating briefly of the Revelation of Baha’u’llah, 
History, Organization, Religious and Secular 


Doctrines and Institutions, 


by } 
CHARLES MASON *REMEY 


Copies of this book may be obtained from the Baha’i Publishing 
Committee, P.O. Box’ 48. Grand Central Station, New York City, U.S.A. 


Cee PHO HEL CODY) ceil a vehi ae cd teeta) Gene 
AQ COPIER is costs Cum nd tetitreka cep Uae 


Approved by the 
National Bahd’i Reviewing Committee of America 
April, 1925 


Printed by Tipografia Sordomuti, Firenze, Italia. 


Series of twelve articles. 


. es The Bab . 
.- Baha'u'llah 
Abdw'l-Baha 


® ° + 2 e 


s of the Orient 











PDREFACE. 


This series of twelve articles, introductory to the Bahwt 
_ Teachings, is compiled for the most part from writings 
circulated during the past decade or more, and is now 
| published in order to meet the present increasing need for 
; literature in the field of Bahai teaching. The material 
contained therein summarizes information which can be 
found in a less abridged form in the standard works of 
the Bahwt Cause. 

The writer wishes to express his deep appreciation of 
the assistance rendered him by Mrs H. Emogene Hoagg 
in the preparation of this book for press. 


Florence, Italy, 
May 15, 1925, C. M. R. 





The Reality of Religion. 
‘Abda’l-Baha 


O army of life! East and West have joined to worship 


stars of faded splendor and have turned in prayer unto 


darkened horizons. Both have utterly neglected the broad 


foundation of God’s sacred laws, and have grown un- 
mindful of the merits and virtues of His religion. They 
‘have regarded certain customs and conventions as the 


immutable basis of the divine faith, and have firmly estab- 
lished themselves therein. They have imagined them- 
selves as having attained the glorious pinnacle of achieve- 
ment and prosperity when in reality they have touch- 
ed the innermost depths of heedlessness and deprived 
themselvels wholly of God’s bountiful gifts. 

The corner-stone of the religion of God is the acqui- 


sition of the divine perfections and the sharing in His 
manifold bestowals. The essential purpose of faith and 
belief is to ennoble the inner being of man with the 
outpourings of grace from on high. If this be not at- 
tained, it is indeed deprivation itself. It is the torment 
_ of infernal fire. 


Wherefore it is incumbent upon all Bahda’is to ponder 


this very delicate and vital matter in their hearts, that 
unlike other religions they may not content themselves 
with the noise, the clamor, the hollowness of religious 


; ARC eM aaa SEAS eo 
NEA ME CES el a aD 
ee , ST hae ah ve 
} 5 7 I he no 
rl 


12 


doctrine. Nay, rather they should exemplify in every 





aspect of their lives those attributes and virtues that 
are born of God, and should arise to distinguish them- 
selves by their goodly behaviour. They should justify — 
their claim to be Bahda’is by deeds and not by name. 
He is a true Bahda’i who strives by day and by night 
to progress and advance along the path of human en- — 
deavor, whose most cherished desire is so to live and 
act as to enrich and illuminate the world, whose source 
of inspiration is the essence of divine virtue, whose 
aim in life is so to conduct himself as to be the cause 
of infinite progress. Only when he attains unto such — 


perfect gifts can it be said of him that he is a true 


Bahai. For in this holy dispensation, the crowning ~ 


glory of bygone ages and cycles, true faith, is no mere 
acknowledgement of the unity of God, but rather the 


living of a life that will manifest all the perfections and — 


virtues implied in such belief....His holiness the Exal- 
ted One, may my life be a sacrifice unto him, and the 


Abha Beauty, may my spirit be offered up in the path 
of his loved ones, have shown us the way of right be- — 


haviour, have guided us to the path of selfsacrifice, have a 
taught us how to despise earthly rest and comfort, how ~ 


to lay down our lives that others may prosper and suc- 


ceed. That sanctified Being, despite the loftiness of His 
position, and the exaltation of his spirit, chose to be 
chained and fettered that we may obtain the light of di- 


vine guidance. All the days of his life he rested not 
for a moment, sought no repose, nor laid his head upon 
the couch of ease and security. His days were passed 


t 


a 


amidst afflictions and suffering: how can we prove our- — 


ae 


el 
vy 
ee ; 
ah, 
‘ cs 
‘poe wey. 
ey) 
Ve Toe J 


13 


selves worthy and yet remain inactive ? Surely it is but 
just that we arise to water this pure and widely-scatter- 
ed seed, that we care for these saplings planted in 
the soil of hearts, that we dedicate ourselves wholly to 
the service of mankind. Then will the world be turned 
into a paradise, then will the surface of the earth mir- 
ror forth the glory of the Abha Kingdom. Should this 
_ be otherwise, great will be our deprivation and grievous 
our loss. 
~ O servant of Truth! Wouldst thou obtain the sover- 
eignty of earth and heaven, seek naught but true servi- 
’ tude at the threshold of the Abha Beauty. Wouldst 
thou win the joy of liberty in this world and the next, 
desire not but submission unto his holy will. Wouldst 
thou discover the true way of God, follow the path of 
his Covenant. Wouldst thou behold the light of eternal 
splendor, fix thy gaze upon his bountiful grace vouch- 
‘Safed from the Abha Kingdom ». 


if 
ay 
} 


* i | 





INTRODUCTION | 


D000 


THE MESSAGE 


The Hope and Glad Tidings of this New Day 
A general introduction 


The Baha’i Revelation 








INTRODUCTION 


_ THE MESSAGE. 


At the present time the religious world is in a state 
of change. It is breaking away from the superstitions 
and the cold, hard and dead creeds and dogmas of the 
_ past, and it is awakening to and reaching out for a 
- broader conception of truth, a dynamic religion which 
- is at the same time liberal, tolerant and unsectarian. 
Nothing short of such a universal catholic faith can 
satisfy humanity in this day and age. 

There are many philosophies. Because of man’s 
 finitude, infinite religion has taken upon itself many 
and varying forms of thought, but from the spiritual 
_ view-point of: reality there is and can be but one re- 
. ligion, because there is but one God, and there is but 
_ one spiritual relation between Him and the individual 
souls of men. The knowledge of this spiritual rela- 
_ tion between the Oreator and the created, between 
the infinite divine being and man, is the one, the only 
and the true religion. It is the basic principle of the 
truth contained in all religious systems. Shorn of 
Bh superstitions and imaginations and renewed by the 
_ divine spirit, it will be the religion of the future. 
This present day is characterized by a great spirit- 


oi SRR) De de etmek) | Ly Lee SAT e: lt LAS Ah ee ee yy ae ck ey oe ite FREAD TS Aas Ck er Uae tek, ee ee Mer aT Bete Sane t) eae 
Fu aie ot, Weer Sete Md ai te i PS Wali ke de a eR cl me am RRA ko eae 
iat pei Sy Wa A are PL eles) Shs hh h SidE Cee FON eee an oy bib Liss yf Nate SURE Bi ve be yy ant st PF SCR Aico 
Gehl) sheeted private trier ft SI viii CULMS aR SS RB a ievidas ry ( Pate t fr yu ut 


18 





ual awakening among the followers of all rela y 
the like of which has never before been seen in the a 
world. This awakening is manifest among all people, ai 
in all countries, and under all conditions. During the : 
past eighty years the world has entered upon a new ite 
spiritual era. Many people who have made a shade i 
of the domestic and foreign fields of religious work of | 
today realize this fact, notwithstanding their own 
widely differing personal view-points. In the Christian — : 
world we see the effect. of this awakening in socon- 
vincing a manner that illustrations are unnecessary. 2 
In the other religions the same is clearly and strikingly ~ 
visible in the many changes and movements which, in ae 
these latter years, have characterized Judaism, Islam-— 
ism, Hinduism, and latterly, the great Be 
awakening in China among the followers of Confucius. 
This spiritual awakening is universal. It manifests itself 
differently under varying conditions, — social, racial — 
and religious; but considered as a hoe it indicates 
that the soul of the world of humanity is now awake — " 
searching truth and seeking freedom from the supersti- 3 : 
tions of the past, and that nothing short of the unis i : 
versal truth will appease its hunger and querer its f 
thirst, 








now, in the light of this new day Bey age, all iene : 
is Pataenibed to have emanated from the one source, — i 
which is God. Many thinking people are now believ- 
ing that religions in their purity are all based on oe 








19 
same fundamental truths and are as parts of one great 
body organically connected. Hach revelation of divine 
truth has been a step leading humanity to a higher con- 


ception of the Creator and his divine law, and preparing 
souls for the time when all men would be united in 


one great world universal faith, worshiping the one 
God in spirit and in truth. Great divine seers loom 


up in history as centers of religious inspiration. Then 


in the coming age another prophet appears, building 
upon the foundation of his predecessors, fulfilling their 


prophecies and accomplishing the hopes of their follow- 


- ers by leading humanity on a stage further in soul 


development. Hach prophet prepared the way for the 
coming of the succeeding prophetic dispensation. In 
this way have all religious movements of the past 
been interrelated as integral parts of the foundation 


- of God’s universal kingdom here on earth, whose com- - 
_ pleted structure is destined to come as a great universal 


world religion, in which the prophecies and fruits of 


all religions will be realized. 


The teachers and prophets, the founders of the world 


religions, have been seers, as well as channels of truth 


“ow: 


to the people of their days. Through spiritual inspi- 


_ ration, understanding, and wisdom, they foresaw coming 
events and human conditions. They foretold this uni- 


_ versal latter-day awakening of all people and demand 


yar 
* 


for truth, and they foresaw the One who would meet 


and satisfy this demand for truth in the coming of 
_another-channel of divine grace, the great latter-day 
_revelator. This holy personage, the latest of all 


Manifestations of the Word and power of God, they 







prophesied. would arise with spiritual- understanding 
and power, reveal and demonstrate the universal ars 
which exists in all religions, unite all men in faith, 
and establish the universal religion and the Kingdon Ms 
of God on earth, That this Manifestation, the latest 
of all God’s messengers, has come, and has. founded — 
his Cause in the world is the message that the Babi't — Me 
Cause is giving to the world. a 
Hach of the world’s great divine teachers haa a 
spiritual vision tar in advance of the people of his time. 
These great God-men were independent of the meee x 
concepts and institutions of their days. They Med : 
creators of thought, morals, and social advancement, 
This progressive spirit of the divinely inspired fonnanene 
of religions characterized each of the great religious 
movements during its earlier day. Later, as truth was — 
supplanted by superstition in the minds of the people, A 
the religions ceased to be independent institutions, —_ : ; 
guiding the people — and became dependent jee i 
tions, dependent upon and catering to the thought and — * 
the imaginations of the people of the day. Its mission 
as a leader and creator of thought and morals was at : 


ny 


an end, and instead of elevating the people it retarded — oe 
their progress and became the cause of stagnation and i 
disintegration. Such has been the development of #: ae 
superstitious theology in the many religions. Advane- — : 
ing civilization has had no more subtle or persistent — fe 
enemy to contend with than the superstition of lifeless _ ‘ 
religious systems. i ie 
Foremost among the world problems of this day and 


age is the abolition of war and the establishment 





aa 












aie hye ee tts ei Bek Sagi ae aa py LE Mabel ica eat ig are ie) tral 4 ‘Su J cs A 





oe he ee veal’: 


ne 
BS ge” H © . 
oe t ~ 
OU aera) 


21 


‘international peace. In reviewing history one sees that — 
national, racial and religious hatred and rancor have 
been one of the principal causes of war. Even at the 

present time the differing and opposing tenets, customs 
and morals held by the different religious teachings or 

- philosophies are not only not working for peace upon 

earth, but through their separating influence upon men 

Aa are actually holding people at variance, dividing hu- 
- manity, and in many cases have been the direct cause 

_ of war in modern times. The object of the Bahda’i 

teaching is to strike a fatal blow at these prejudices, 

It not only seeks to eliminate the cause of strife, but 
in place of enmity it plants a virile and growing spirit 
of religious unity between the peoples reached. 

_ The Baha'i Revelation offers to the world a religious ) 
teaching applicable to the present modern needs of | 
humanity. It is religion renewed. It teaches that all: 

truth emanates from the one Word of God, through 

God’s many mouth-pieces, His anointed ones, or pro- 

_phets, and that truth has come into the world for the 

quickening of the soul of humanity, Thus the re- 

vealed teachings of all religions in their beginnings were 

i but as time passed man-created philosophy and ™ 

po ipnet crept in, killing the pure spirit of divine truth, | 
until finally little remained save superstition, creed, | 
dogma, and ceremony. Hence, a new spiritual quik: 

ening is necessary from age to age, and now again 
as in times past, God has revealed His Word anew 

_ for the whole world, that all men of all nations and 

races may receive more abundantly than ever before 

2 of His spirit. This He has accomplished through the 


2 


ees 









‘ 


f 








22 


79 


three inspired revealers of the Baha 


first of a series of Guardians of the Cause—the func- 
tion of this office and organization being to co-ordi- 


nate the spirit of the Baha'i ideals and principles, and | 





{ Cause : ‘throw ae 
the Bab, who was the herald and the “ First Point , raat 
of the revelation; through Bahd’u’ll4h, who was the ~ 
great revealer of the Word; through *Abdw'l-Baha, 
who was the expounder of the Word, and in whom © 
all things were fulfilled. The Bahd’i organization has 
as its present head Shoghi Effendi, eldest grandson of __ 
-Abdt’l-Bahd, appointed by ’Abdt’l-Bah4 to be the 


to promote the spirit of union and harmony between 


the peoples of different religions, races, nations and 
classes, 


The Baha'i principle of unity is not merely a nega- — 


tive suspension of inharmony or intolerance. It is a 
positive force for unity, potent and dynamic, which, 
as it grows, creates a new conciousness, transmuting 
destructive forces into constructive forces. It stands 


for progress, and is the promoter of all universal pro- ay. 


gressive thoughts of the age which are uniting the 
people of all races, religions and nations. This spiritual 


_ force is now needed by the world. Through it, the dif- _ 
| ferences between eastern and western thought, manners 
and customs, and the lack of confidence between all 
people, are being changed and replaced. by oneness of — 


thought and action, and by confidence and fraternity. — 
The Bahai Cause MAHaE for : 

1. The unity of all religions; 

2. The political unity of all nations; 


a 
a 





PERI OMe yd eV Od SATA ot ot Th Ne te AAT RUG es WO Lek OLR a uke Morne Shy ak TRA i oY erate gd 
ie ae : ROOM E OT Leet wan, tal ry { 
ae ap Se , LN ho ¢ ’ 





23° 


3. The social co-ordination and unity of groups com- 
posing all peoples and races ;. 

4. The unity of languages in one universal language ; 

5. Suffrage for women and men alike; 

6. The advancement of all material institutions condu- 

 ¢cive to the general welfare of man, his enlighten- 

ment and progress ; 

7. World peace. 

_ All of these much needed institutions are established 

upon the divine foundation of spiritual or religious 


unity between peoples, and in the fruition of the. 


. Bahai service to humanity will appear the harvest of 
_the divine seeds sown in the hearts of the sas by 
the revealers of the Baha'i Cause. 

In this day the peoples of the world are being drawn 
together by the material forces of civilization. Com- 
mercial and political relations have brought people of 
all nations, races and religions together upon the plane 
of their outer activities; but as yet they form a heter- 
ogenous mixture, having no common or uniting con- 
sciousness or inner spiritual ground upon which to 
build a fundamental unity. Such a divine spiritual 
meeting-ground of common understanding or unity, 
_ is now the most needed thing in the world. The time 
is at hand for the people of the world to unite in all 
matters, and first of all in religion since this is the most 
potent factor in shaping the character of individuals 
and groups. The good character of nations has been 


built by religion, and it has been destroyed through HH 


_ superstition, which is the lack of true religion. 
The superstitious beliefs of the past have nothing to 


race ct- 
baie 

a es 
shh iD)¥ have 


Sa. 








offer to the world of today toward the solution of this 
mighty problem of a world unity. Hach theological be- 
lief with its own particular theories, forms, and ceremo- _ 
nies was evolved under the limited human conditions of — ; 
the past, before universal problems existed such as the © 
world now faces. ‘Therefore, the many theologies and | 
various beliefs of the past have no relation. to the — 
present universal world-needs, nor power to infineneae ie 
mankind. The day of such religious superstitions is 
at an end, and this world is now ripe for the promul- — : 
gating of a virile religious movement; a religion ahead 
of the times, one whose teaching contains all the 
truths of the religions of the past, one which in inde- 
pendent of and not limited by past or present super- 
stitions of man. Such a religion will lead the world 
onward, infusing into it the spiritual force necessary _ 
to reform its institutions, oriental and occidental, in 
their faith in God and confidence in one another, thus a if 
making a firm spiritual foundation for the coming 
ereat universal world-civilization. ; 

The Baha'i revelation is meeting this world-neae 
and is ministering to it. It is not an eclectic aes 
ophy gleaned from the past, neither is ita sect. Rather 
it is a living spiritual force working in the heart of AG 
mankind. Because of its soul inspiring qualities and 
its spiritual power it appeals alike to the unschooled — 
and the learned, to the masses and the few. The Bab, gre 
Baha’ wah, eat "Abdw’l-Baha, stand forth as divine 
teachers rat leaders Lideumarant of the world’s attitude 5 
and thought. They have created a living spiritual — 
religious Cause that has spiritualized nature beapen 





a 
, 





Veil ee TELS A. ve Aa Cary BEALE CAML) MTL rman? Yarra oo rustle Lane ar Uh gan EA wes (EEN hag > atte ue ale LS essen de ae ah 
i] Bee MCLE KS Y LAN c { i i 


y) Palle ee Fee nee ie i 
ae oA Tay aN yt $s 


25 


the power of the Word of God. Like all divine teachers 


they were far ahead of their time. Peace, arbitration 


and an international language, in fact the vision of 


universal civilization were generally unthought of by 


the world when Baha’wllah, over half a century ago, 


announced this spiritual message in which is incorpo- 


rated the solution of the many questions which now 
occupy the minds of the greatest thinkers and philan- 
thropists of the age. Upon every hand people are 


clamoring to understand more clearly the principles 
- of peace and the oneness of humanity to which the 


Baha'i leaders and their followers have borne witness 
by trials and suffering aud death. 

Those who are familiar with the Bahéi doctrines 
believe that through knowing, understanding, and living 
the principles of the Spiritual Kingdom, men will be- 
come united; the various religious sects and cults 
will cease to exist as such, and all men will live as 
brothers. The Baha’i Cause is actually bringing about 


this millennial condition. Through its teachings and 


influence the spiritual limitations of an undeveloped - 


i humanity are doomed to disappear, and truth, which | 
is the love of God, will manifest itself here on this — 


earth as brotherhood among men. The Bahd’i Cause 
is ministering to this great spiritual need of the day, 


by planting in the soul of the world a living invincible 


religion of brotherhood, Because of this reality and 
this human universal need, this Cause is destined to 


grow until it envelops the whole world, unites all men 
_ and leads them onward toward the age of spiritual 


enlightenment, prosperity and peace. 


ae awakening boat anal are arising to serve ; arinite othe! 


_-writing's of all religions has come and has establishe 











ca 





truth is the foundation of all true ‘religion. Lae 
phe Baha'i Revelation teaches that, symbolically 










_ souls, as yet unreached by the verbal messages, are 
ms nevertheless Ba ay responding: to the spirit 0 0 


‘bounty and peace upon earth. ; 
_ That the Word of God has again been ante 
to man, and that « The One » promised in the hols 


the new and divine order of things, the Kingdom 0 
- God on earth, is the message which the Bahd’i Revel 
ation is bringing to the world. ; 


THE BAB 


The Forerunner of Baha’u’llah and 
The First Point of the Baha’i Revelation 
A Summary of his precursory Teachings and a brief outline of 


the History of his Mission 





- THE BAB. 


_ The first divine teacher of the Baha'i Revelation 


was M’irz’ "Ali Muhammad, known as the Bab. (*) 


He was born in October, 1819, in the city of Shiraz, 
in southern Persia. His father, a Siyyid, or descen- 


‘ dant of the prophet Muhammad, died during his in- 
fancy, and the young child was adopted into the 


family of a maternal uncle, a man of virtue, who 


reared him, giving him such elementary education in 


i 


the Persian language as was customary among the 
sons of the merchant class to which he belonged. On _ 
attaining maturity, M’irzd ’Ali Muhammad went into 
business with his uncle and was for some time estab- 
lished in Bushire, upon the Persian Gulf. As a young 
man he was noted for purity, gentleness and charm. 


‘Hven those who afterwards opposed and persecuted 


him and his followers most cruelly, never attacked 
his personal character. Much religious meditation, © 


they claimed, had unbalanced his mind. 


On May 23, 1844, moved by the Spirit of God, 


_ Miirzé ’Ali Muhammad declared his mission. At that 
time from various parts of Persia were gathered 


together in Shiraz eighteen spiritually prepared souls, 
men of religious wisdom to whom it had been given 


to understand divine realities. To these chosen disci- 


(1) « Bab » is. the Arabic and Persian word for door or gate, 





30 


ples M’irz4 ’Ali Muhammad revealed his mission, as — 
the « door » (Bab) or forerunner of a great prophet — 
and teacher soon to appear. He, the Bab, had been © 
divinely sent as a herald to warn the people of the 
coming of the great promised One, and to exhort — 





them to purify themselves and prepare for his advent. ~ 
One whom he entitled <« He-whom-God-shall-mani- 


fest, » — the « Latter-Day Revelator, » « The Lord - 
of bcs. » promised in the revealed ain of the 


past — was soon to come and establish the new era 
of the Kingdom of God upon earth. 


es es 3 


These eighteen first disciples of the B4b were known 


as the « Letters of the Living. » They, with himself 
as « The Point, » formed the nucleus for the dissem- 
ination of this new teaching. As soon as the Bab 


had instructed these disciples in his simple doctrines, 
he sent them into various parts of Persia with the 
commission to teach-and to proclaim his appearance. — 


He then, with one of his followers, went upon the — 


annual pilgrimage to Mecca, where, before a concourse — 
of pilgrims assembled from all parts of the Musl’im — 
world, he made his first public declaration. By the © 
time the Bab returned to Bushire in Persia, his Cause 
was known in many parts of the country and was ~ 
gaining adherents so rapidly that the Musl’im clergy — 
were becoming alarmed lest through the rise of this’ 


new cult they might lose their power and hold over : 


the people. 


Shortly after landing in Bushive the Bab went to | 


Shiraz where his Cause was spreading. He was roughly — 
treated by the Musl’ims, placed under guard, and or- — 





oe irs * ¢ ec awk Yor 7a wy t \ y 
AES RA RON ei vie s AMIE Ge MOT SAP 1. EL, : 
t LS al es wean si) Pe MP 


at 


dered to remain within the confines of his house. 


There, nevertheless, many had access to him, were 
attracted and believed in his teachings. Many of these 


- were men of prominence and learning, while others were 


of the more humble walks of life. Through the power 


_ of divine love, the Bab overcame all obstacles and won 
_ the hearts of the people, quickening his followers 


with a spirit of most ardent devotion to his Cause. 


Although the Bab was without learniug and school- 
ing, save that of a very elementary nature, he was 
so richly endowed with spiritual or inspirational wis- 
dom that he discomfited the learned Mullas until they 
feared discussion with him, lest the people should see 


_ the weakness of their argurments and the strength of 


his teaching. He-wrote with the greatest rapidity and 
fluency, dictating both in public and private his many 


treatises upon intricate theological questions, taking 


the people away from speculative exegesis and instill- 


ing into their hearts spiritual wisdom, love and faith. 
From Shiraz the Bab was, at the incitement of the 


opposing priesthood, taken in captivity from place to 


place, all of which strengthened and spread the Cause 


: rather than impeded its growth. ‘Thus seized and held 
_ as prisoner of State at the instigation of the Mullas, 


the Bab continued his mission of teaching the people. 


yen his captors could not resist the spirit which 


_. flowed from him, and many of them became his friends 


and staunch supporters, sacrificing all, even life, in his 


- Cause, 


The ministers of State being informed of the rapid 


_ growth of the Babi Movement, as it was called at that 


aie: 


time, and fearing lest the Bab’s presence in the cities — 
of Persia would so agitate the clergy that they might 





possibly incite a religious uprising, an order was issued _ 


to the effect that the Bab should be imprisoned in the 
distant fortress of Maku in the mountain fastnesses 


& 
Yin ater Ps 


of the extreme northwestern part of Persia. Thither — a 
_he was taken a prisoner on this long cross-country 


journey. As the Bab passed through many cities, his f 
fame continued to spread widely and many believed he 


and followed his path. 


Hre long the daily increase in the number. of ites a 
_ Bab’s followers in many parts of the land caused thee ¢ 
Persian authorities to remove him from Maki to a ~ 
_ still more remote imprisonment in the castle of Chi- 


-rikh, in the foot hills of Mount Ararat, where he could 


be could be more closely guarded and less likely to 


communicate with the outside world. These precautions 
to curtail his influence were fruitless. His Cause grew, 


and his following having attained to great proportions 
the clergy became thoroughly alarmed and instigated 


a heresy trial and public examination of his doctrines, 
This investigation was held in the city of Tabri’z by © 
the authority of the governor of that province, and — 
before this tribunal the B&éb was brought a prisoner, 

All manner of insults and indignities were heaped 
upon him, and finally he was flogged, — one of the — 


MWe = Fyxs 


chief mullas applyng the rods with his own hands. — 
After this the Bab was returned to his former prison al 


in the castle of Chi-rikh. 


About this time began the early general persecutions | 
and massacres of the Babis in all Persia. Aroused by 


Pp ye ety Oh AY SA PTA tins An DE A Te WATS Sab a aes JE CT eA Rd aati! unit m at ile ei NO aid Mie na MUTA all) ia eh ea ot CLAM te Yale Sioa d 9,5 
EE KR NTN The Bac PDL MG ta, HAE KUL LOR IMUL ar WOON TC CARCI eR Maer POOP Nn ge everett 
Rene pegs ae Me ibis t : Hiro { i 

je BE , : aw Pas! 


re 


33 


their priests the fanatical Musl’ims fell upon the _ be- 
lievers in many parts of the land, pillaging and burn- 
ing their homes and torturing and murdering men, 
women and children. These crimes are too revolting 


to be mentioned in detail. Many are the accounts of 
_ the marvelous courage and fortitude of even the chil- 


dren, not to mention that of the women and men, 
These souls with the greatest calmness and joy sub- 
mitted to the most fiendish tortures and death, rather 
than recant or deny their faith, when denial would 
have saved them. One’s heart beats rapidly when he 
realizes that through this suffering these martyrs were 


lighting the way that the world might be prepared to 


meet the One promised to appear who would establish 
the new era of divine peace upon earth. 

Sometimes Babi fugitives banded themselves together 
to resist the attacks of the Musl’ims, and in some 
instances they defended themselves valiantly and brave- 
ly only to be slaughtered in the end by the over- 
whelming number of their adversaries. That « the 


blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church », is 
' again proven to the world in this day, for with the 


_ shedding of each drop of B&bi blood the Cause gained 


numbers of adherents. People who at first knew but 


little of the Bab and his teachings, save that a prophet 


‘had come, were confirmed in the faith and went forth 


_to serve, and die when called upon. 


As one listens to the accounts of the lives of the 


_ early Babis, of their missions and labors, sufferings 


and martyrdoms, he sees the wonder!u! spirit of the 


love of God which actuated them as they responded to 


3 





34. 





the call. One is thrilled as he realizes that the day Re 


of a vital and burning faith, such as moved the apos- — 


tles and fathers of old, has again appeared. From ~ 


its inception, this latter-day religion has borne the ~ 
same manner of spiritual fruit as the religions of the — 


past bore in their earlier days. 


Among the most prominent of the Bab’s followers x 


was Qurratu’l’Ayn, poet, orator and heroine of the — 


Cause, who, after an eventful career in which she 


stood forth as a powerful exponent of the new faith, 


suffered a martyr’s death. As a woman many decades 
ahead of her time, her life and example are an inspi- 


ration to people in all parts of the world, and espe- — 


cially to her sisters of the Orient, who, through the 
_Oause for which she died are now being lifted from 


their former condition of ignorance and oppress | 


into one of knowledge and freedom. 


With the unfoldment of the Bab’s message andthe © 
spiritual development of the followers, gradually he — 
revealed his divine station more and more clearly to 


the people, until they saw him in his full capacity, — 
not only as the forerunner of a great revelation to 
come, but himself as the « First Point » of this reve-— 


lation, With this realization came greater and renewed ~ 
confirmations and activities in teaching upon the part 
of the believers, causing renewals of hostilities upon 


the part of the Muslim clergy. 


Islim is the State religion of Persia, ‘therefore that 


which shakes its power produces a like effect in the ; 


government. At length, seeing the Cause to be steadily — 


on the increase, the priests brought such pressure to 


> 7 

A- ey -~ 
<2 eS De oe: 
ite "ie os YO ee 





oe oe beitin o tales USERE ATM RTD vie atl Sal a BUD Mao Ht ite a DR Ch MAA a 
aah Piaf PN aN, 5 ee ag PeOM A MOUNT te es Cen EAR UND aA ae 5 J 1 gg 
dee | Pie ite Mey ¥ - x : r 


35 


bear upon the government that the prime minister of 
the State ordered the Bab to be killed, hoping thus to 
put an end to the matter, and to place himself, the 
prime minister, and his political party, in security with 
the clergy and the people. Accordingly, the Bab was 
again removed from the prison of Chi-rikh and taken 
to Tabri’z, the seat of the local government of the 
province. Here, on the 9th of July, 1850, he suffered 


martyrdom. 


The Bab, with one of his most devoted followers, 
a youth of noble family, was conducted to an open 
square in the city and there the two were bound and 


suspended by ropes against a wall. A company of 


Armenian Ohristian soldiers was drawn up, and the 
order to fire given. When the smoke cleared, to 
the astonishment of all present, it was found that 
instead of harming the captives only the ropes had 


_ been severed and the two captives had dropped to the 


ground unhurt. So great was the consternation caused 


by this incident that the commander of the executing 


company refused to take further part in the affair, 
and another company of soldiers, native Musl’ims, was 


ordered out. The Bab and his disciple were again 
_ suspended before the wall, and the ensuing volleys 
riddled both bodies with bullets, causing instantaneous 


death. Later the remains were cast into a moat and 
there exposed to public view, as warning of the fate 
which awaited those who followed the new faith. | 
By night the body of the Bab was removed by some 
of the faithful, and swathed in silk was disguised as 
a bale of merchandise and deposited in a place of 





Doe eta CREA Pt aN eo TR ee ee SOE an come oe? tele a 
yous BOM Se Pree mak SERA Aran one A ») Rae ; 
' GAO SDS a aa Oren TRY 


36. 


davon: As conditions and wisdom demanded, from bina . 
to time his hiding place was changed. Finally in the 
presence of a notable gathering of pilgrims from va- 
rious parts of both the Orient and the Occident the 
body of the Bab was laid to rest by ‘Abdi'l-Bah4 in 
the « Shrine of the Bab» upon Mount Carmel in the 
Holy Land, now a Bahda’i place of worship, constantly 


visited by serine from all parts of the world. 


During the four years of the Bab’s imprisonment, 
his numerous letters and epistles with the greatest — 
difficulty were smuggled out of the prison and sent — 


to the followers in various parts of the country. 
These writings contain his injunctions to the believers 


for their guidance and protection until the cone ofa 


« Him-whom-God-shall-manifest ». 


One of the institutions.of the Bab was the rearrange- 


ment of the calendar. This change was confirmed 


by Baha'u'llah, and the new calendar is beginning to — 
be used by Bahéi'is, Eventually it will supersede the 


many systems now eurrent. The Baha'i era began 
with the year 1844 A.D., or 1260 of the Musl’im Hajira. 
The first day of the Baha'i year falls on March 21, 
the day upon which the sun enters the sign of Aries 
and is commonly known as the first day of spring. 


The year is divided into nineteen months of nineteen nae 
days each, making in all 361 days to which are added 


four (every fourth year five) intercalary days to com- K 


plete the 365 or 366 days of the year. | ‘ 


The Bab’s ordinances were given for the people of 
his time, and were commensurable with the needs and 


- conditions of the believers during the interim between 








37 


his manifestation and the manifestation of the Greater 
One to come. The Bab was the « First Point » of 
this revelation, the precursor of the Greater One. In 
his teachings he reiterated again and again that, when 
« He-whom-God-shall-manifest » appeared, all should 
turn unto him, and that he would reveal teachings 
and ordinances which would replace the Babi sacred 
literature, 

Running through the Bab’s writings are found count- 
less allusions to the spiritual power, splendor and 
glory of Baha’u’llah, who was then in the world, but 
unknown to men. This holy personage was the in- 
Spiration of the Bab, to whom the Bab continually 
testified in the most eloquent and stirring of his verses, 
and of whom he bore witness by a life of suffering 
and imprisonment crowned by martyrdom, 





1 
BAHA’U’LLAH. 


«He Whom God Shall Manifest » . 
Whose coming was heralded by The Bab. 
A brief Outline. 
of the History of His Mission. 





spe he ing we tude NU NOR A i RE? Re SAS ie GS evar a A Wa, STS Nia Mee te BoD Beat hates el WIA ALY Mean ee ihe DP reali Nip ghey ihr eta Ott IM Mae OU Pra ea eNO TIE AD tnt 
Renney Daye <2) ¢ vs ay i We ie dA oa aly Fare chal OA Age Ay RUE h bys At NE sk a vi eR eRe aise a Fe, i) 
Ole tan 8 Ome ee an I : eT ay baa AA } : ; 5 





al 


BAHA’U’LLAH. 

M’irz4é Husayn ‘Ali of Nur, more widely known as 
Baha’u’llah, was born in Tihran, Persia, on the 12th 
of November, 1817. His family was one of wealth 
and note ; his father as well as other relatives having 
been ministers of the government, serving in various 
official capacities. 

During Baha’u'llah’s youth his father died leaving 
him, the eldest son, as the head of the family. Being 
of a contemplative disposition, the public life which 
his father had led had no allurements for Baha’wléh, 
He chose, instead a life of comparative retirement, 
managing the family estates and affairs and supervising 
the education of his brothers and sisters. It is recorded 
that even in very early youth the marks of wisdom 
and distinction were upon him. | 

In his home Bahé’u’ll4h was taught the Persian 
language, but he never attended any school or college. 
Through inspiration the deepest of spiritual mysteries 
were his. Later these basic principles of being are 
_ revealed with power and force in his writings. These 
truths are the foundation of the Baha’i Cause. They 
are the living, spiritual principles of existence. Their 

understanding appeals to and satisfies the soul and 
meets the moral and spiritual needs of life. His know- 
ledge came from the source of all knowledge and is 
the source of knowledge for all. 

At the time the Bab made his declaration and sent 












eee aes NC His ' 7 
A MM i eh 


42 
hig disciples forth from Shi’r4z, Bahd’w'll4h, then about 

twenty-seven years of age, was residing in Tihran. — 
When the glad ‘tidings of the Bab’s manifestation 


reached the capitol, Bahéa’uw’4h was among the first 
to respond to the call, and in turn he proclaimed the 


Oause and upheld it publicly. He visited the city of © 


Nur, the home of his family, and other neighboring — 
cities and towns where he engaged in expounding the 
Bab’s teachings, later returning to Tihrdn, there again 
to take up the work of teaching the Cause. | 

The Bab and Baha’u’ll4h had no family connection 
whatever, the former being of Arabic-Persian descent, 
while the latter was of ancient Persian lineage. pHeee 
two personages never met in person, yet in spirit 
they were intimate, contacting even in their deepest 
thoughts and inspirations. 

Shortly after the Bab’s martyrdom came the greatest 
persecution of the followers. Even to be suspected of 
being a believer was, in many cases, sufficient to cause 
the extinction of an entire family. In Tihran some 


eighty believers were handed over by the government 


officials to the Musl’ims, each being subjected to some — 
unique torture before the final slaying. Hach cal- 
amity was followed by one more terrible, yet through 
all the wonderful hope of the Promised One to come 


and the enthusiastic love and devotion of the followers _ 


to the memory of their martyred master upheld and 
strengthened them to meet every form of persecution. 

In the midst of these troubles Bahé’u’ll4h w asarrest- 
ed, prison placed in chains and cast into underground 
prison for four months in Tihran, Later on he was sent 





43, 


by the royal order into exile to Baghdad, in Asiatic 
Turkey. There it was thought he would be so far 
removed from the Babis in Persia as to destroy his 
prestige as leader among them. 

After the fury of the massacres of 1851-1852 the 
Babis were in a deplorable condition. Many of the 
disciples and personal associates of the Bab had been 
martyred, while on account of the troubles the few 
_ remaining ones who had personally been taught by 
him were more or less cut off from association with 
the younger followers. It had not been possible to 
disseminate beyond a very limited circle the writings of 
the Bab, so that the vast majority of the believers 
knew little of the depth of his real teaching. In 
addition, they were actuated by a powerful spirit of 
devotion to their Cause; a devotion which, because of 
its very intensity, led them into difficulties, 

This was the condition that prevailed when Baha’u’- 
lah reached Baghdad. Immediately he directed his 
attention and energy toward bringing knowledge and 
assurance to the followers, He taught them the real 
or spiritual significance of the Bab’s teachings, and 
little by little, through understanding, the hitherto 
undirected enthusiasm of the followers found power 
in restraint and in united and directed efforts at ast 
mulgating the Cause. 

As the believers increased in number the anger of 
the Musl’im clergy was aroused and stirred, and. 
this in turn gave rise to other serious difficulties. 
Then Bahé’u’ll4h was led to seek a solitary retreat in 

the mountain fastness of Kurdistan where he remained 





ee +h oie ARGH EAS ge Rll a WED Ol Ree OT TNR Urata Ore Ae 1 eh ATS | ee 
TEAL RRNA U CYT ELM LT Wai Th nettee Ce eT TCR Re MR tiy Hess ME 
§ Yaeeetny en is ag LS Raa IRL iON ete cA eer & 
eyOns Phen ital POSS TROT PALE SR ME STE eek Cie 


Wey UY hg 
BSS tae 
4 Las 





44 


dge : 
ie inh 


for two years in spiritual preparation for his coming — 
manifestation and ministry. Upon his return to Bagh- wu 
_ ddd, great was the joy of the Babis. By that time — 
they were realizing their spiritual strength and thay 
welcomed their teacher and chief with all the fervor 
and enthusiasm of oriental devotees. ) Bi 
These developmens were closely watched by the 
Musl’im priests. Fearful of the loss of their own 
hold upon the people, which they saw waning as ine 
light of this new teaching spread, these priests “iow 
incited the government against Baha’u’ll4h, with the 
result that an international arrangement was formu- — 
lated by which he was ordered to proceed to Constan- 
tinople, there to await the pleasure of the Ottoman — 
Sultan, to who he became temporally subject. , 
Upon hearing that Baha’u’ll4h was to be removed 
from Baghdad, the believers were plunged into grief, 
and a number of them prepared to accompany him, — 
When, in obedience to the summons of the Sultan, 
Baha’u'llah left Baghdad, previous to starting on his 
long journey he encamped a short distance from the ~ 
city in a garden called Hl Ridvan. There, to the most i 
trusted of these followers, Bahdé’u’'ll4h revealed himself . 
and his mission; that he was the Promised One fore-— # 
told by the B&b; that he was the One promised by — ) 
all the propnets to appear in the latter days and estab- ie 
lish God’s kingdom, the great universal brotherhood © ; 
of nations; that he was the One through whose inspi- — J 
red euidines the difficulties of the believers would 
be removed; and that by steadfastly and unitedly 
following whose injunctions those blessings for which _ 


Ny 
ty : 








45 


the believers had hoped, suffered and prayed would 
be realized. This hope he extended to the adherentes 
exhorting them to renew their energies, faith and 
assurance. The coming of Bahé’u’ll4h was the goal 
toward which the Babis had directed their attention. 
Now, having attained to the meeting of the Promised 
One, the believers found themselves upon the threshold 
of an outlook so vast, and of a work so great, that. 
it was only by the sustaining power of Bahdé’u’ll4h 
and by dependence upon him that they were able to 
face and surmount the difficulties wich confronted 
them. é 
_ Traveling overland and by sea, Baha’u’llah and his 
_ band of followers, after a fatiguing journey reached Con- 
stantinople. Here the exiles remained for several months 
under military surveillance before they were sent 
under military escort to Adrianople, in the interior of 
Roumelia, Bahd’uwll4h remained in Adrianople for 
five years, during which time the Cause grew in 
numbers and in strength. Through personal contact, 
those who were with him waxed strong in the light 
of his wisdom, while those at a distance had their 
“souls made strong and steadfast through his written 
_ teachings; for in him all found the realization of the 
_ Spiritual power, glory, and majesty of « Him-whom- | 
-God-shall-manifest. » ; 
Baha wlléh achieved his work only under the great- 
est difficulties. He was opposed on all sides. Finally, 
the spread of the faith created trouble with the Turk- 
ish government, and an order was issued to send 
Baha’u’ll4h as a prisoner to the fortress of Akka on 


ON Leth Nee Aes ype On VN COPE ter PMP RING rece Mey RDM URN OSPR Ai CT aba ARTA WET ere NAR Rs Fat! ohare aie Bay RS WAIN Day AR ei Be OSL O8 ae Bit eee Arey tale 
NB A yet on Nd Wag reat et Na a W} Pye! i Lh. Oa ae eed ueb My Mees Te Mi ridepy: alas NEU MAIS EEE MarR AE Me hi Binge vt Palen 
PUR OM A HPN SA Rec tegth LENEO IDA go Eth het MCURIN Ta NIP a ae i Ye Bi ciiieea at's Wi 4 thar ng 
Ne) th dvips Pana va MSS aN Ny Var Be MUG oriad 4 { aA vb Veh) ? fi ; 
BANE wri ae at) fi y ; ’ i 2 











46 


the coast of Syria. It was in the summer of 1863 * 
that Baha'u'llah and about seventy of his followers- — 
men, women, and children, landed in Akka, Akka is 


the Acre of the time of the crusaders, more anciently 


known as Ptolemais. For a number of years prior to ~ 
Baha’u'llah’s arrival, the fortress off Akka had been 


used as a prison and a place of exile to which the — 
Sultan of Turkey sent his political opponents. Here - 


Bahé’u’ll4h and his people wers thrust into two rooms 


of the barrack prison. In this strict confinement, with — 
poor and insufficient food, and water not fitto drink ~ 


fever and sickness broke out among the _ believers. 
Their sufferings were most intense, yet through all 
they were spiritually in the greatest joy and peace, 
for they realized that only by meeting the very worst 
of this world’s conditions could Bahda’u’ll4h change 
those conditions; while as for themselves, they were 
only too happy and contented to share his sufferings. 

After two years of rigid confinement in prison Bahé’- 
u’ll4h was allowed to live in a house provided for him 
and his family. There he was in close confinement 


for seven years. His follwers entered into various ~ 
occupations in the town and vicinity, and the mate- 
rial condition of the community was greatly improved. _ 


Then came pilgrims from various countries to him, — 
and quickened by his power they went forth to pro- — 
claim his Cause in the uttermost parts of the earth. 
Besides those who saw him personally, Baha’wllah 
reached thousands in distant lands and satisfied their 
thirst for knowledge through his tablets, which were 


OE Saad anes RS AS les to cat GM at hia ay AUER Ma at Lan a I 
Ab sti te he o it Kee Sen | ) 


47 


epistles of exhortation, advice, and explanation written 
in response to letters from believers and seekers. 

During the latter years of his ministry, Bahé’w’ll4h 
was allowed to spend much time in the country in 
the vicinity of Akka, even visiting Haifa and Mt. 
Carmel. At the villa of Bahji, situated on the plain 

of Akka, he departed this life in the month of May, 
1892. He suffered forty years of hardship, imprison- 
ment and exile that the soul of the world might be 
quickened and that spiritual unity and peace might 
prevail on earth. The shrine of Baha’u’ll4h at Bahji 
is now a place of worhip and prayer, and greatly ven-_ 
‘erated by the many pilgrims who yearly visit it 
from all parts of the world. 

Every religion has had its birth in the advent of 
its divine founder. Through the labors of its early ° 
adherents it grew and developed, bringing forth its 
fruits in the institutions and civilization which grew 
up and formed about it. This was its golden age. 
‘Then followed a period in which the faith of the people 
grew cold, spirituality waned, morals suffered, and re- 
ligion, losing its spirit, became a form. ‘Then the souls 

_ of the people became starved and their condition needed 
the ministration of another prophet who, in due time, 
appeared and lifted them a step higher toward the 
coming of The Kingdom upon earth. 

Hach prophet has been a link in the great chain of 
revelators, completing the work and fulfilling the words 
of his predecessor and preparing the way for others _ 

to come after him. Thus have all the prophet Mani- 
festations of the past prepared the way for the coming 


TURN RAR re ote ie eta | VPeePe cae a tN eg Min RR ANE A 






48 


of the great teacher of this day and age, Bahé’u'll4h, 
whose mission is to unite those now following the 
many religions into one brotherhood and one universal _ 
faith. Through Bahdé’u’ll4h this great latter-day teach- 
ing was given to man. His function was that of 
the revealer, As a man he lived a life in harmony 
with his conception of the requirements of his oriental 
environment, yet as the revelator, the mouthpiece of — 
the spirit, his teachings are universally applicable to 
all peoples under all conditions. With the close of — 
his ministry this latter-day revelation was complete. 
The next step in development of the Cause was that 
of explaining, establishing, and demonstrating these 
revealed truths in the world of practice. For the ac- 
complishment of this, ’Abdt’l-Bahaé, the son of Baha- 
uw ll4h, was the chosen instrument, | 

As one studies ’Abdt’l-Baha’s teachings and his life 

of service to humanity, one becomes conscious of the 
spirit of Baha’u’ll4h which was manifested in him. In 
*Abdu’l-Baha’s presence one became conscious of the 
deepest feeling of respect, veneration, and even awe, yet 
not the awe which held one at a distance — for within 
"Abdw’l-Baha’s soul tbere burned such a fire of divine 

. love that very few escaped its power of attraction. The 
awakened sould realized that ’Abdt’l-Baha understood ~ 
the spiritual condition of man and that he was the ~ 
divine physician who, through the love of God, was 
healing the soul of man of the disease of spiritual 
ignorance and superstition and inharmony. He minis- — 
tered to each in accordance with the needs of the in- 
divual. Often at the time one did not understand why 


advised 2 as he did, but ney all fhesae | 
cl ‘ by carrying out his instructions, one— 
ti ealized t the depth of his understanding and the pro- 
fe indness of his wisdom. ‘Abdt’l-Bahé’s vision pene- — 
the soul and understood its condition. His balm 
| summed up in the word love. Divine love annihi- — 
“worry and kills fear, and when it takes Doe 


gS) 








Iii. 


-ABDU’L-BAHA. 


The Center of The Covenant of Baha’u’Il4h, 
The Interpreter of The Revealed Word, 
The One, who was appointed to 


establish The Baha’i Cause in the world. 


A brief outline of His Mission 











DPS MEPIS ty WORE SIRS (rae Neue etaNR Yip glo ara) 
Bait vay ive eh sa Eee Hey sg Bi 
‘3 WE ye IN gr LAA FALLOT RPAH ean ay AER slat Rt We RUA 


"ABDU’L-BAHA 


_ ‘Abdii’l-Bahé, also known as 'Abbds Effendi, the 
- eldest son of Baha’uwll4h, was born in Tihran, Persia, 
on the 28rd day of May, 1844, the very day upon 
which the Bab made his declaration to his disciples 
in Shi’ras. 

At a very early age ’Abdu’l-Bahaé was called: upon 
to share the sufferings of his father. When Baha’- 
ulléh’s persecution began with his imprisonment in 


 Tihr4én, and exile to Baghdad, his family property was 


confiscated, even to personal effects and belongings, 
and the members of his family suffered intensely for 
the bare necessities ot lite. “Abduw’-Baha’s schooling 


was interrupted in his childhood by these persecutions, ° 


and afterward he never attended a school. However, 
through his constant communion with Baha’u'llah, 
_ through whom his inspiration came, an understanding, 
- wisdom, and knowledge of all things were his. 

- *Abdu’l-Bah4 accompanied Bahd’-u’ll4h upon his 
_ winter journey from Tihran to Baghdad, and during 
the years of exile there and later in Adrianople 
and in Akka, was constantly at Bahé’u’ll4h’s right hand, 
serving ml helping him in his work of concen 
_ the people. 

 °Abdw’l-Bahé was the first to recognize the dite 
_ station of Baha'u'llah. He was the first soul quickened 
_ by the life-giving spirit of Bahd’u’lldh, and he was 





Cop ae ae 


at teh ea taba A fe za Bet ‘i pe Rs aietthy a Ant eh DiAWiinck ue ahh ae 
eo) Pa Ste Dy fe Ai irs Wy har i, eye AN Maarten Wai 1 Veg 
[any ie ‘aNaey ‘ er FY 4 4 “ Pall 





EE icon OEP AGRE RS Ey 
VAR ne rapnig tesa, 





f AMI SED MOL NEF, ath LEE Gah aaNbALL Ce SHV RUT eR Shh de {ana ean Caen) Moye ACU Mea Ear st Waal ‘4 
PAN pain f NN Nea ee < Ines bit fooey Vip Na wink peeks UDMA es 4 Waa a vant *t 4 AG Poet uate p iy: ’ 
Hy ahs ; i : LAH ne Pe RIKEN TNE) Pit A ku 





ny Vet J i : ) Pane 
? , PE ’ ANS 
é , ¢ Pie) Sah Wofee We ay 
p my NET 


the first to arise in the service of the Kingdom. In ~ 
"A bdt’l-Baha’s life of devotion to the Oause and his 
practice of the precepts of Bahé’u’llah, the perfect life - 
of the eternal Kingdom was manifest, and in him all 
things were realized and accomplished. 

’Abdw’l-Baha took upon himself the task of relieving | 
Baha'u'llah of all possible cares of daily life, so that 
Baha'u'llah might devote himself entirely to his mission. — 
During the imprisonment in Akka, when hardshipand — 
sickness were encompassing the believers on every | 
side, it was ’Abdw’l-Baha who, through his buoyancy 
of spirit, gave courage to the distressed ones. He — 
nursed the sick, and through the touch of his hand ~ 
imparted strength to the weak; while the light of his © 
great love illumined all and impowered them to 
overcome their ills. 

In the written testament of Baha’u’ll4h, as well as 
in his spoken teachings which have been handed down 
to us through those who were near him, he appointed 
his son ’Abdt’l-Baha to succeed him in his spiritual 
mission, and designated him as the one who should 
continue and complete his work in the world. The © 
father’s mantle fell upon the shoulders of the son, 
The staff of Bahdé’u’ll4h passed into the hands of — 
"Abdu’l-Bahaé, and the spirit of God which spoke 
through Bahd'u’ll4h, revealing truth to the world, later 
was manifested to humanity through ’Abdt’l-Baha’s 
life of service to the Cause. | 

With the passing of Baha’u’ll4h (May, 1892), began 
"Abdu’l-Baha’s divine mission as « The Center of the — 





SS 


AU Ma tila 


cae ayy TR Way Peay Rey fee hake) Li Wy ath ym 
Bran At.s Ly Wee: Ome 
NP Ine 1 5 t 





Covenant. » When he arose, invested with the power . 


of the Spirit, then began the third period of the estab- 
lishment of the Kingdom here among men. ’Abdt’l- 
Baha stood as the exponent of a spiritual principle, a 
great divine power. The Bahd’is had the uttermost 
esteem, love and veneration for ’Abdu’l-Baha. To 


_ them he was the living testimony of Baha’u’llah, their 


divine friend, counselor, and spiritual guide. 
’ In looking toward ’Abdw’l-Baha as the expounder 
of divine wisdom, his followers revered and glorified 


the divine light of Baha’u’ll4h which manifested through 


him. No soul could fathom the depths into which 
’Abdu’l-Baha saw, nor the profoundness of his realiza- 
tion of the suffering condition of mankind. He felt the 
hunger and thirst of soul of humanity for spiritual 
rest, and upon his brow was written her silent agony. 
When ’Abdut’l-Baha spoke, his listeners realized that 
he was fairly charged with the positive life-force of 


the Kingdom. In every glance and movement he 
manifested the joy of the Lord, and as he showed 


forth this love and joy in his many deeds of kindness, 
his spirit penetrated the hearts of those who came in 


contact with him, and they in turn went forth filled 
with his spirit to work and to serve in his path. 


The pilgrim discovered that ’Abdt’l-Baha impressed 


his hearers by calling forth a response from within 


the soul of each individual seeker, not by projecting 
his own ideas or personality upon them. The direct 


_ influence of the will of one personality upon another 


is transitory and without lasting benefit. But how 


peas, 


55 


iP Ta yep ae ae ANS 
) Aran 
ap Gs 


fag 
iW 4) 





different was the message of the spirit speaking through 
the lite and words of ‘Abdw'l-Baha! He had a 


message for every one, and asthe soul-of the seeker 


met in spirit the soul of ’Abdt’l-Bah4, he felt a new _ 
force added to his nature, and he went forth quick- © 
ened, alive and aflame with the love of God, desirous — 
of serving God by calling humanity to His Kingdom. — 

’Abdt’'l-Bah4 came with the power of God to live — 
and manifest the life of the Kingdom. This he dem- _ 
onstrated to the world, for through his ministry all _ 


things were accomplished as intended andrevealed by _ 


Bahi’u’llab, Bahd’u'll4h alluded to ’Abdt’l-Bahd in 


the most exalted terms in both his spoken and written — i 


word, distinctly stating that he, "Abdu’l-Baha was not 
one of the creatures, but unique aud different from 
all mankind in his divine station. ’Abddt’l-Baha _pre- 
ferred to allude to himself as « ’Abdt’l-Baha », which 


translated means « The servant of Bahé (God). « Thus — ; 


the name ’Abdu’l-Baha, by which he was so widely 


known, was of his own choosing, not one given a 


by Baha’ a’u’-llah. 


Almost the entire life of ’Abdt’l-Bah4 was passed — | 


undes the temporal law as areligious prisoner. At 


times he was only under military surveillance, and — 
again imprisoned behind barred doors. Yet despite 
these physical hindrances his spiritual work prospered — 
and his message of glad-tidings went the world around, a 
taking with it the peace of the spirit to thousands of — 


souls of every race and religion. At times, on account 
of the troubles brought on by the opposing people, it 
was impossible for the believers to visit ’Abdu’l-Baha, 








57 


At one time some of his followers were cast into pris- 
son, and at another time some of the believers were 
forced to flee from the Holy Land and seek refuge in 
Egypt. Nevertheless, through all trials and troubles, 
°Abdul’-Bahé went steadily forward accomplishing his 
‘work, the number of his opposers decreasing and the 
number of his sympathizers increasing, until he clearly 
showed to all that his Cause was not dependent upon 
earthly prosperity for its growth, nor did opposition 
hinder its spread. 

’Abdt’l-Bahaé changed the world by infusing spiritual 
_ wisdom into men’s souls. He taught the people through 
leading them, rather than by trying to force them; 
through winning souls by the spirit, rather than by 
argument. 

Many beautiful and touching incidents are related 
by the people of Akka of the way in which, through 
long-suffering and kindness, ’Abdt’l-Bahaé won the 
hearts of those who, because of their prejudice, for- 
merly were his enemies. Oaring for the sick and 
protecting the oppressed formed a large part of his 
daily duties. One of the titles applied to him by the 
_ indigent Arabs was, « Faher of the Poor ». His per- 
_ sonal needs and those of his family were few. Inreality, 
that which he possessed was for the benefit of all, while 
he was but the guardian of it. No ono knew how 
many children he was educating; how many needy 
and infirm ones he healed and fed. ’Abdt’l-Baha 
_ demonstrated to the world that there in neither virtue 
nor disgrace in either riches or poverty; and that 
_ man, either in need or in plenty, should utilize his little 








58. 





or his much in glorifyng God. through serving hu- 


manity. 


‘Abdw’l-Bahd had many expenses in connection with 
the carrying on of the work of the Cause. The 


eas 


American Baha’is testify that he very rarely permitted He 


any of them to share in carrying the burden of the 


work in the Hast, though in rare instances he did — 


accept tpatebutions for various purposes. 
‘Abdt’l-Bahé was married. He had four daughtons 


three of whom have families. Through his home life } 


"Abdu’l-Baha as a devoted husband and a loving 


father, taught a lesson to the people of both the Hast 
and the West. He taught monogamy, and that woman 
should be man’s intellectual, moral and spiritual com- 


panion as well as the mortien of his children. He 


taught in these days of marital unrest that marriage, 
to bear the fruits of happiness and contentment, 
should be founded upon a spiritual basis and not alone 
upon a physical one. 

"Abdt’l-Bah4 was an exile from his country for 


seventy years, and was held in the fortress of Akka — 


as a religious prisoner from 1868 until the summer of 
1908, when the Turkish Constitution was established. 


With this political change of affairs in Turkey he was he 
freed from confinement and from military surveillance. : 
’Abdt’l-Bahaé expressed perfect manhood. The vigor 


of a fully developed physical, intellectual and spiritual 


power was apparent in his every movement; yet with 


this was a delicacy, a sensibility and an intuition 
which manifested the inspiration that dominated him. 
In him was all the dignity and majesty of a king 








59 


combined with the humbleness of the servant; and 
upon his brow was the strength and force of the 
ancient Mosaic patriarchal type of man, counterbal- 
anced by the gentleness of a child. . 
In contacting in spirit with the soul of ’Abdw’l-Baha, 
and in realizing his great love for humanity, it was 
as though another and new dimension were added to 
the soul of the visitant seeker for truth, and old 
conditions of doubt and uncertainty were replaced by 
poise and assurance. "‘Abdw’l-Baha’s mission was to 
teach man to bring the love of the Kingdom into 


every day life and to manifest it in every thought, 
word and deed. 3 


It is in the little things and the numerous details 
of life that the test comes in applying spiritual teach- 
ings. In the life of ’“Abdt’l-Baha it was through 
the seemingly small things that his great spirit mani- 
fested itself and went out with a penetrating power 


to the souls of those who allowed thémselves to come 


within the radius of its activity. In his presence it 
was as if a refreshing breeze, a spiritual force, proceeded 


from his heart to that of the seeker, — -a mysterious 
_ force carrying strength to the weak and ee to 


the strong. 
*Abdt’l-Baha’s every word, look and Poninne mani- 


_ fested his spirit, and while this spirit was the most 


elusive and difficult of all things but when once one 
recognized it, it was the most tangible of realities, 


for it was the very essence of the light of the 


oe ee a 
Se pee — 


soul of humanity proceeding from him who was the 


center of divine life and guidance. 





After his release from confinement in the fortress 
of Akka, *"Abdt’l-Bah4 made few changes in his daily — 
life, but many more of his followers could visit him 
than formerly, consequently his duties and labors — 
increased. He gave up his residence in Akka, and 
after living for some months in the neighboring town 
of Haifa, went to Egypt, and later on to Europe and _ 
America, ever engaged in the labors of his spiritual fis 
mission. During the eight months which he spent in 
America in 1912 he traveled from coast to coast, vis- 
iting most of the principal cities, and delivered ad- 
dresses wherever the doors were thrown opento him, _ 
These addresses were given in churches of many de- 
nominations, in synagogues, universities and before 
various organizations. Wherever he went he brought 
the quiet joy and assurance of God’s Kingdom to the a 
hearts of the people. ine 

After leaving America ’Abdt’l-Bah4 made a tour of © 
Europe and spent some time in Egypt, everywhere — 
demonstrating and giving forth the spirit of the Baha'i 
Cause. a a 

The few months prior to the war found ’Abdt’l-— 
Baha back again in the Holy Land on Mt. Carmel, 
_ where, cut off from the outside world, he remain 
Aes the years of the great combat, ministering ne 
and feeding the starving people, numbers of whom . 
would otherwise have died of hunger and want. Then — 
the post-war conditions in Palestine made. it possible 
again for ’Abdt’l-Baha’s friends to visit him and re- — 
ceive his teachings. | a 

When the British army entered Palestine, the con- i 


¥ 









* 
iy 
B72 





URS Bd 4, SOE ie fh lS tee CR ba CPOE A tay ah Oba Nh AAR Py Us ea iui Pure Tes Lica WSS Te 

ed A ca TR RG A a ee Sl Mint UAT ATR LP METI gi 514 Br eain teed HRA latest vane rick 

" Pee NL MOL RUS en yy ORCL OME om Sy oy BOG LT) me ates Sl ed a ap tal a Yee 
DOME Waoe) ie - : aa a ihe ay v Ri AR) Cid 7 ', f 

‘ i; + as eb beet ty ; 4 eA r ‘4 bee has f 5 - ' F 





querors came in contact with the Master, ’Abdt’l- 
Baha, and in recognition of his service for the betterment 
of humananity, the knighthood of the British Empire 
was conferred upon him, and this he graciously — 
accepted. Gk 

_ As the time for his departure from this world drew 
nigh, "Abdu’l-Bahd4 made ready all of his affairs, and 
then quickly, and without any apparent bodily illness, 
in the very early hours of the morning of November 
28th, 1921, his spirit took its flight from this mortal 
realm. On the following morning his remains were 
laid in a tomb adjacent to that of the Bab, in the 
Bahai Shrine upon Mt. Carmel, - the officials of Pal- 
estine, British and native, attending, while the funeral 
services were conducted by the united cooperation of 
the clergy of the Musl’im, Christian and Jewish reli- 
gions. 

?Abdt’l-Baha’s tomb, like that of the Bab and Baha’u’- 
lah, is visited daily by the friends of the Cause, and is 
a sanctuary from which continually arises the prayers 
and supplications of the faithful for the people of the . 
world and for the triumph of God’s kingdom on 
earth, 
_ The shock and deep grief of the Bahd’is in all parts — 
of the world caused by ’Abdt’l-Baha’s departure, was 
somewhat assuaged by the provisions which he had 
made in his will and testament for the guardianship 
and the continued guidance and development of the 
Cause. As the Bab covenanted regarding Bahda’u’lah, 
and Baha’u’ll4h appointed ’Abdu’l-Bah&é « The Cen- 

ter of his Covenant », so ’Abdw’l-Bahaé left full and 





62 


complete instructions for the organization of the Cause 
under an appointed « Guardian », the primal branch 
branched forth from the tree of the new covenant of 
of Abha. Now the Cause is functioning about this 
organic center of guidance, which is the heart of the 
body-Baha’i in the world, — a living spiritual organ- 
ism destined to grow and expand until it fills the 
entire world, bringing the peace and joy of the Lord 
to peoples of all races, nation and religions. 


LV: 


GUARDIANSHIP AND ORGANIZATION, 


Shoghi Effendi the First Guardian. 
The Protection. Systematizing, 
administration and growth of 


The Baha’i Cause. 


it 


Nh oe 
\ ve y a al i 
oY ; ) 


Ly 
aaa 








THE GUARDIANSHIP AND ORGANIZATION 
OF THE BAHA’i CAUSE. 


*Abdu’l-Bahé covenanted in his Will that after his 
passing there would be a continued and a perpetuated 
center of guidance for the Cause, a Guardian, the 
office to be hereditary. The Guardian is to be the 


center about whom the Baha’is should revolve, the 


one whose mission would be to direct, continue and 


_ farther the work of the Cause; the one upon whom 


the mantle of the spirit would descend to protect, 


guide and inspire the people of the Cause and lead 
them onward in their spiritual work. 

"Abdw’l-Baha appointed his eldest grandson Shoghi 
Effendi to be the first of this line of Guardians. 
Shoghi Effendi descends on his mother’s side from 
Bahé’u'lldh through ’Abdt’l-Bah4, and upon his father’s 
side from a collateral branch of the family of the 


_ Bab, * 


Upon him devolves the duty of establishing the 


- organization of the Cause as outlined in the will of 


Abdwt’l-Baha. 
The appointment of the Guardian was made. by 


 *Abdu'l-Bahé in his Will in the following words: 


O my loving friends! After the passing away of 


this wronged one, it is incumbent upon the Branches and 


h The Bab’s only child, a son, died in infancy. 





Twigs of the sacred Lote-Tree (i. e. the relatives of the i 


Bab and Bahd’u'lidh), the Hands of the Cause of God — 
and the loved ones of the Abhad Beauty, to turn to Shoght — 


Effendi — the youthful Branch, branched from two hal- — 
lowed and sacred Lote-Trees (the Bab and Bahd’w'llah) © 
and the fruit grown from the union of the two offshoots — 
of the Tree of Holiness, as he is the sign of God, the — 
chosen Branch, the Guardian of the Cause of God, he 
unto whom all the Branches, the Twigs, the Hands of the 
Cause of God and his loved ones must turn. He is the — 
expounder of the words of God, and after him will — 
succeed the first born of his neal descendanis.... 

Lhe sacred and youthful Branch, the Guardian of 
the Cause of God, as well as_ the Vapioned Assembly 
(Baytw'l-’Adl) to be wniversaily elected and esiablished, 
are both wnder the care and protection of the Abha Beauty, 
under the shelter and unerring guidance of His Holiness — 
the Hxalted One. May my life be offered up for them — 
both! Whatsoever they decide is of God. 

O ye beloved of the Lord! It is incumbent upon the — 


Guardian of the Cause of God to appoint in his own 


lifetime him that shall become his successor, that differ- 
ences may not arise afier his passing. He that is 
appointed must manifest in himself detachment from all — 
worldly things, must be the essence of purity, must show 
in himself the fear of God, knowledge, wisdom and learn- 
ing. Thus, should the first born of the Guardian of the 
Cause of God not manifest in himself the truth of the 


words, « the child is the secret essence of its sire », that 
ws, should he not inherit of the spiritual within him (the _ 


Guardian), and his glorious lineage not be matched with — 








67 


a goodly character, then must the Guardian of the 
Cause choose another Branch to succeed him. 

_« The Hands of the Cause of God must elect from 
their own number nine persons that shall at all times be 
occupied in the important service of the work of the Guar- 
dian of the Cause of God. The election of these nine 
must be carried, either unanimously or by majority from 
the company of the Hands of the Cause of God, and 
_ these, whether wnanimousty or by majority vote, musi 
give their assent to the choice of the one whom the Guar- 
_ dian of the Cause of God hath chosen as his successor. 
This assent must be given in such wise that the assent- 
ing and dissenting voices may not be distinguised (i. e. 
by secret ballot) ». 

Important among the Bahé’i institutions mentioned 
in the writings of Baha’u’ll4h is that of the Baytu- 
‘]-’-Adl (Spiritual Assembly), the duty of which would 
be the service and the direction of the Cause and 
its furtherance, The plan for the development and 


_ founding of this Assembly was left to ’Abdw’l-Baha, 


and in his Will and Testament is further unfolded 
- the plan for this spiritual institution, The organ- 
_ ization calls for two distinct bodies functioning with 
the Guardian, upholding the divine ideals of the reli- 
gion; (1) The « Hands of the Cause of God »; and (2) 
The Spiritual Assemblies. 

: 1. The « Hands of the Cause of God » is to be a 
_ body of tried teachers and servants of the Cause, sev- 
ered from the world, elevated to this station by ap- 
_ pointment by the Guardian, and chosen by him be- 
cause of spiritual policies and noble characteristics. 


oe LE ue TD tnd tle Met eas A none xf 
) bd BO I Ve ped ee aes on a 4 
a] ie’, Ay Ae tas Wh hie 
nti, Cay ay 
4 ae Oe Uae Ls, 





Of the Hands of the Cause of God ‘Abdw'l- Baha whee SS 


in ee Will as follows: 


O friends! The Hands of the Cause of. God nen ) ‘ 
be nominated and appointed by the Guardian of the 


Cause of God. The obligation of the Hands of the Cause — 


of God is to diffuse the divine fragrances, to edify the 


souls of men and to be, at all times and under all cir- He 


cumstances, sanctified and detached from earthly things. 


They must manifest the fear of God by their conduct, py 


their manners, their deeds and their words. 


This body of the Hands of the Cause of God is under 


the direction of the Guardian of the Cause of God. He 
must continually urge them to strive and endeavor to the 


utmost of their ability to diffuse the sweet savors of God, 


and. to guide all the people of the world, for i is the 
_ light of divine guidance that causes all the universe 2 bo 
be allumined. 


2. A series of spiritual assemblies, local and naiGnel 
with one international assembly are to be established. 


‘The local spiritual assemblies in each Baha’i community, 


elected by the people, have charge of local Baha’i- fi 


activities. The National Spiritual Assembly, elected by 


representatives of the people in each country, is above ne 


the local assemblies and has charge of the general affairs | 
which pertain to the Bahai activities in that land. 
The Universal or International Spiritual Assembly, the 


members of which are selected by the national bodies, 


is above the national spiritual assemblies. Already 
Shoghi Effendi has inaugurated a system of local and — 
- national assemblies, and the friends of the Cause are 


now looking toward his future work in the further ee 





development of these spiritual institutions which are 
at the head of the organization of the Cause. Of the 
organization of these spiritual assemblies ’Abdt’-Bahd 
wrote in his testament as follows: 

And now, concerning the Assembly (Baytw’l- Adl) which 
God hath ordined as the source of all. good and freed 
from all error, i must be elected by wniversal suffrage, 
that is by the believers. Its nembers must be manifesta- 
tions of the fear of God, and the day-springs of knowl- 
edge and understanding, must be steadfast in God’s faith, 
and the well wishers of all mankind. By this Assembly 
is meant the Universal Assembly: that is, in each cown- 
try a secondary Assembly must be instituted, and these 
secondary assemblies must elect the members at the Uni- 
versal one. 

Unto this body all things must be referred. Tl enact- 
eth all ordinances and regulations that are not to be 
found in the explicit holy texts. By this body all dif- 
ficult problems aré to be resolved, and the Guardian of 
the Cause is the sacred head and distinguished member 
“ for life, of that body. Should he not atiend in person its 
deliberations, he must appoint one to represent him.... 


_ This Assembly enacteth the laws and the executive enforc- 


_ eth them. The legislative body musi reinforce the execu- 
_ ttve, the executive must aid and assist the legislative body 
so that, through the close union and harmony of these 
two forces, the foundation of firmness and justice may 
become firm and strong, that all the regions of the world 
may become even as paradise itself: 

Unto the Most Holy Book every one must turn, and 
all that is not expressly recorded therein must be refer- 





verily the truth and the porpose of God himself. Whoso 
doth deviate therefrom is verily of them that love dis- 


cord, hath shown forth malice, and turned away from 


the Lord of the Covenant, 


It is incumbent upon the members (of the Universal 


Assembly) to gather in a certain place and deliberate 
upon all problems which have caused difference, quesiions 


that are obscure, and matters that are not expressly re- ; 
corded in The Book. Whatsoever they decide has the 
same effect as the text itself. And inasmuch as this 






red to the Universal Assembly, That which this body, x 
either unanimouly or by majority, doth carry, that is i" 


Assembly hath pover to enact laws that are not express- 


ly recorded in the Book, and bear upon daily trans- 


actions, so also it has power to repeal the same. Thus 


_ for example, the Assembly enacteth today a ceriain law 
and a hundred years hence, circumstances having changed 
and the conditions being altered, another Assembly will 


then have power, according to the exigencies of the time, — 


to alter that law. This ti can do, because that law formeth 
no part of the divine explicit text, The Assembly is both 
the initiator and the abrogator of ts own laws. 
Shoghi Effendi at the time of the passing of ’Abdt- 
’l-Baha was but twenty-five years of age. He has 


the love, devotion and confidence of the Baha'is in all 
countries. In his decisions they see great Bahai 
wisdom. They are doing all in their power to support 


and aid him in his great work, strong in the assurance 


that this is the Cause of God and that its growthand 


Spiritual victory over the irreligion of the world, with 


Wt ey 
iit aay 
‘inde ee 


\ 


We ra OW aC rae Arava ty RAM rg CU ta ak tyr she Fatale | th ea Le) al ad AY iT Sl ee tem ea il EO al ar 
Ps olas Sh GRAY aI in Ora caiARS OR gal pa La EMM IRC 
’ RPO ePTO LARA) ea» OU vl iM yt og APN Pee EEA debt des Cla a ks CY My th Gian Word ie SEES oe) Pay Get 





Hb) otey 
ieee 


- tt ri tee 
Wath Liou! 
hye 


_ its superstition and misery, is assured and confirmed 
and cannot fail. 

One of the questions the Baha’is are often asked is 
regarding the number of those who profess this faith. 
The strength of this Cause is a spiritual one, not to 

_be measured numerically. Even were it possible to > 

_ know the exact number of Baha’is in the world, this 
record would be valid but a short while, because the 
Cause is growing continually, interest in it is increas- 
ing and the hearts of people are daily becoming 

more attracted and more confirmed in the truth, 

~The Bahd@’is are widely distributed throughout the 

world. During the days of the Bab, his Cause was 

- confined principally to Persia, although he had adher- 
ents also in neighboring countries. With the rise of, 
Baha’wllah this field of work was extended, the Baha’i 
teachers went north in Caucasia, Russia and Turkestan, 
south into India, east into Burma, and later on into 
China. With Baha’u’llah’s exile in Turkey, Roumelia 
and Syria, his Cause spread in those countries as well 
as in Egypt and in Arabia. 

The establishment of the Baha’i Cause in the West 

has been accomplished under the ministry of ’Abdw’l- 
Bahé. In the year 1894, a small group of people in 
the city of Chicago became interested in the revelation, © 
Later, similar groups were formed in New York, 
Washington and San Francisco. In the winter of 
1898-99, the first band of American Baha'i pilgrims 

crossed the seas to visit “Abdu’l-Baha, then in exile in 
the Holy Land; Up to that time the communication 
between the American Baha’is and ’Abdt’-Baha had 





been by writing only. Then, with the sadod impenie 


given by contact with ’Abdt’l-Bah4 these American 
pilgrims returned to the West with renewed zeal and 
desire to spread the Cause. 

From the enthusiasm of this first band of cravelbiey 


Le, 
yet: 


new centers for teaching were founded in France, 
England and America. From this nucleus have Co ts 


veloped believers in all parts of the United States, in 


Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, Japan and Australia, New : 


} 


Gestand and (South: A mehisa*and hole Indies, as” . 


well as in various parts of Germany, Switzerland and 
Italy. During this period of growth, several Baha’ . 


teachers from the Orient have traveled through Hurope — 


and America, instructing and teaching the people, and — 
helping to establish new centers. Likewise, teachers — 
from the Occident have journeyed and taught in the 


oriental countries, Quietly and slowly the Cause has 


grown amid all varieties of human conditions, among 


peoples of every religion, race and clime. In the 


if 
Msi 
Ys 


ma 


AW 


growth and progress of the Bahd’i Cause is demon- 
strated its universal spiritual power. Accepted by 
people of every condition it is making inroads into 


their souls as leaven; it is uniting these many heter- — 


7 
’ 
>, 


ogeneous elements into one homogeneous world-people. Hy 

The method of Baha'i teaching is constructive in — 
every sense. In presenting this Cause to people, the — 
teacher’s first step, after bringing his own life into 
harmony with the teaching, is to confirm the seeker — 


in the truth of his own religion and upon that con- — 
firmation, as a foundation, place the seekers faith in 
this latter-day teaching. Argument and dispute have — 





no place in this Cause. The teaching is quietly yet. 


fearlessly given with much love, and then the matter 
Ss left with the listener and God. Baha'u'llah urges 
everyone to investigate religion for himself, not ac- 


_cepting anything blindly nor by hearsay. People are 
not urged nor enticed, but rather through the Baha'i 


spirit of love are attracted to the Cause. 


All are exhorted to serve the Cause by teaching. 
Contributions are not generally solicited. The spirit 
of the Cause must first find root in the hearts of the 


people, then they will arise themselves to support it. 


When a person realizes the greatness of the privilege 


of aiding the Baha’i work, he assists in the measure 
he is able, his own heart being his guide. The Baha’is 


are working to unite all races and religions in the 
love of the Lord. They are not looking for praise nor 
even to see results, their satisfaction is that of service ; 


and there is no other satisfaction or pleasure which 


can approach that joy, - the joy of serving His Cause. 
Now in these days of the first Guardian of the Cause, 


Shoghi Effendi, the organization is being established 
as outlined and provided for in the testament of ’Abdu’l- 
- Bahé. Spiritual assemblies, local and national, have 
been founded and are working, as already stated, in 


the many lands where the Bahd’is are gathered. The _ 


yay 


International Assembly, however, is yet to be inau- 


gurated, as well as other Bahé't institutions. Spiri- 


tual strength and confirmation in abundance attend 
the early workings of the Bahai erganization. In 


_ this great body of people of all races, religions, na- 


aan 
nC dhe 
ie iy , aed 














tions and classes, is found the embodiment of the ; 
universal world ideal of the Bahai Cause; for all | 


oi: 


of these formerly heterogeneous and warring human — 
elements are now spiritually and organically fused — 


and united in one living cause which has for its object 


the living Kingdom of God here upon earth. 

As there are cycles of growth, fruition and decay 
in life on the physical plane, there are also the cycles 
of birth, development, fruition, decay in religious sys- 


tems or dispensations. As the cycles or seasons in the — 


physical world are due to the condition of the mate- — 


rial earth in its relation to the sun, so the cycles or — 
seasons in the religious world are due to the human ~ 
conditions in the world as these are affected by the — 


divine power of the Sun of Truth or the Word of God. 
Resurrection and judgment pertain to the coming 


of a prophet or Manifestation and the elevation of 


the spiritual power of religion in the world. Through — 


the word revealed, souls are quickened and the spirit- 
ually dead are given divine lite. The day of each 


prophet is the time of judgment for those souls who — 


believe and adhere to the former revelations. Thus 


now in this day the peoples of all the religions are — 
being tested and tried: judged, as it were. Now, as — 
in times past, those who are clinging to the reality — 
and truth of the revelations of the past, are finding — 
that same truth and spirit in this new revelation, so 


applied as to meet the peculiar world-needs of this 
day and age. Those who are immersed in supersti- 


tions, are thereby veiled from the truth of this day. 


+ ae . . 
— ee I: > vy 
+ 2 J 
=” Si a eee ts 






REM AEY URECH Mi PeTPERY TST Te) Ace MoT petty rue ADR GGN Dad. rly VR RR EYAL CES am RA 
¥ J ity NV a UREA Calpe ied lat, 144 AK Gono int SN iN th Ata iy Sh el Hiihavtir 
Mand Wy { * he ay ur Wor : ie en aa | ° AMachrt ni N 2ty ; f ny Be AC Uy, ys 

ne } BAA de f iy Migitaal AVE tne 


In this same way was it so in the days of Christ and 
the prophets. | 
In the coming of the Bab, Bahda’wllah and ’Abdu’l- 

Baha is found the fulfilment of the divine promises 

of God, given to the peoples of the past ages; and 

in this coming is the beginning of that age of divine 
enlightenment and spiritual wisdom for which men 
have long hoped and prayed. In the light of these 
inspired teachings all religious teachings of the past 
are understood and seen to be as parts of one great 
divine plan for the spiritual enlightenment of the 
world. In the Baha'i Revelation is realized, also, that 
power which is binding and uniting the peoplds of all 
races and religions in one universal religion which is 
the Kingdom of God upon earth. 
Once asked regarding the relation of his mission to 
that of the great Manifestation, Baha’ullah, ’Abdt'l- 
Baha replied: « Baha’u’llah is the root of the tree of 
the Kingdom, while I am the branch, branched from 
that pre-existent root. The fruit of the tree appears 
upon the branches, not upon the roots. » Now that 
the master, ’Abdt’l-Bah4, has passed from our midst, 
the Baha’is are realizing more the full significance of 
the reality of this explanation; for branching from 
*Abdt’l-Baha, the main branch or trunk of the Cove- 
nant, we find the Guardian Shoghi Hffendi, the first of 
the line of the Baha’i Guardians. With the passing 

of the generations there wiil be many Guardians 

branching out from this divine tree of revelation, 
The believers under each Guardian will be as the 





76° 


leaves, flowers and fruits of that branch (Guardian), 
from and through which they received nutriment and — 
life from the tree, the root of which is Bahé’u’llah, 
and the trunk of which is ’Abdw’l-Baha. This living 
and ever growing and verdant tree is the symbol of 
the organic unity and life of the Bahai Cause. It 
admits of no division or sectarian differences or in- 
harmonies, Its destiny is assured. It is preordained 
to envelop all humanity, bringing with it the bounties 
of God’s Kingdom to all peoples. — ; 











THE BAHA’! SACRED WRITINGS 
THE BAB. 


_ The book of the Bab, or his collective writings, 
is known as The Bayan. That the mission of the Bab 


was introductory to the advent of Bahd’u’ll4h is most 


clearly stated in these writings in which the coming 
of « Him-whom-God-shall-manifest » is the one great 
theme. In them the Bab exhorts the people to prepare 


themselves spiritually to meet and to recognize and 


to adhere to Baha’u’ll4h when he should appear. He 
left certain laws and ordinances for the guidance of 
his followers until the advent of Bahd’u’ll4h, which 
were to be abrogated with the promised « coming. » 
These writings, calculated to meet and minister to the 
local conditions which were chiefly Islamic, have as 
yet as a whole not been translated into English. 


-BAHA’U’LLAH. 


The writings of Baha’u’ll4h are numerous and in 


general are comparatively brief treatises. Of these a 
number have been translated and published in the oc- 


cidental languages, while others still remain in the 
original Persian and Arabic texts. 

One of the first books translated aud published 
in English was the Kitaébu’l Iqan, The Book of Assur- 
ance. This was written by Bahda’u’ll4h during his 


exile in Baghdad, and was a reply to certain theolog- 
ical questions asked by a learned Musl’im priest, 


be ali 
ae : 








The expression is couched is terms peculiar to Islamic 
thought, yet, deeper than these terms are the uni- — 
versal spiritual teachings with which its pages are 
replete, the essence and reality of which appeals to ep 
people of all religions. i 

In this book Bahd’u’ll4h quotes familiar texts fron ‘ 
the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, and from — 
the Qur’4n of Muhammad, and he explains the spiritual — 
truths contained in these three books relative to the 
end and passing of the old dispensations, the coming — 
of the latter-day revelator, and the ushering into ex-— 
istence of the new dispensation of the Kingdom upon — 
earth. He points out the oneness of the teachings of 
the Jewish, Christian and Musl’im holy literature re- 
garding this latter-day advent of the Promised One, 
the Lord. | 

In the Stratu’l-Haykal, <« Chapter upon the Temple 
or Body », Baha'u'llah treats of the divine call, his 
arising in response thereto, and his mission here among — 
men, : | vs 
In the Book of the Seven Valleys, Baha'u'llah explains | 
the different stages of the spiritual progress or de- 
velopment of the soulof man. These stages he divides — 
into seven, which he terms «valleys». This book — 
was Gritten to elucidate certain truths from the stand-— 
point of mysticism. In appreciating it one understands — 
and finds sympathy with the spirit and teachings of f 
the Mystics. , 

In the Lawh’l-Agdas, The Holy Tablet, « Bahé'u'- 
lah explains his Cause to the Christian world. He 
demonstrates that now is the time of the end spoken — 


i ; €5 


nee 


~ 





of by Jesus, the Christ, and he exhorts the Christians 
to consider the importance of this day and of its Cause. 
He demonstrates the necessity for relinquishing depen- 
dence upon the superstitions in the creeds and customs 
of the past ages, and exhorts all to adhere to the 
pure truth of the words of Jesus, which, when under- 
stood, will confirm the truth revealed again in this 
day. 
_ The Hidden Words, in two books, — the one trans- 
lated from the original Arabic text, and the other from 
the Persian — contain the essence of the spiritual 
truths revealed by the divine revelators of the past. 
_ In these utterances the fundamental divine truths 
are again revealed to humanity in terms applicable 
to the unique exigencies of this age. These verses are 
replete with spiritual significance, and in each is hid- 
den a message, or word, for the hungry soul. 
The Tablets of Tarazit, TajalViyat and Ishraqat, 
contain exhortations regarding the conduct of man. 
In these books Baha’wll4h dwells upon those virtues, 
through the practice of which spiritually awakened 
* man will evolve and attain to the state of nearness 
to God, which spiritual state is the foundation of peace 
and prosperity. 
_ In the Kitdbu’l Aqdas, « Book of the Law », Baha- 
*u'llah outlines both the material and spiritual laws 
for the guidance of the people of the coming dispen- 
sation. He provides for governmental laws based on 
divine laws. These divine laws are not arbitrary. 
“They are the spiritual principles which rule and govern 
the higher or the divine nature in man, and are given 





6 


ae 





with divine wisdom. P Their virtue will become appar- 


ent as men live in accordance with their statutes, 


and in so doing eliminate the source of the ills of 


the day. The ordinances of the Bahd’i Cause aim 


at the eradication of wrong-doing through spiritual 


education and evolution, and, at the same time, they 


protect humanity from those who perpetrate wick- 


edness. 


The Kitdb’-i--Ahd, « Book of the Testament > is 


the will and testament of Bahd4’u’ll4h to his followers. 


In this document he provides for the guidance of 


his followers after his passing by appointing his— 
beloved son, "Abdt’l-Bahé, to be the Center of his 
Covenant, He towards ner all the faithful should turn, — 


Bahs’w'lléh left many other writings to the world, 


These are, for the greater part, in the form of epistles. 


or tablets written to individuals. Noteworthy among 
these are the Epistles to the Kings, written just pre-— 
vious to his arrival at Akka, and sent from this ee 


to all parts of the world. 
In these tablets Baha’u’ll4h declares his Cause ts 


the kings and potentates of the earth, exhorting them 


to turn to the Kingdom, and to the Promised One 


whom God had sent to establish peace upon earth, 
and to inaugurate those institutions which would. 


benefit their subjects. 


ABDU’L-BAHA. , 


The writings of Abdt’l-Baha are for the greater 
part epistles, tablets, written to individuals or to 


a 
‘ 





“9 i‘, “sy a ee he SPER hive Ne ay ee AES Re eee STD vy Eee ee al PAL COP SRM UE PL fads re Bree om Ey SO ae ates eae 4 
MET VA IL TARE DAMN Rae Bo ig BILE BUENA SN TOLER ORME TE UT UALS TEN sLavo Ry AMY AUN Sse T Nn Pn BO LR TEN a 
r iva? bi Pista a Liha SR Hee parse ea tiles Bs A, WLBT TEA a OOM, paves & {hr as OMAR Abn i Z 
1”) Ta> & FeO NM Ay iy meet bay ‘ i j $ (ilos ats ye, we ; 1 tA Sid 
i A bt 4) vet Au ha ey Te. CBG) Win ; ETO a? 





83 


assemblies. These are explanatory of the revealed 
writings of Bahé’wll4h. A number of ’Abdt’l-Bahd’s 
lessons upon various spiritual subjects have been col- 
lected, translated and published by one of his followers 
under the title of Some Answered Questions. This work 
is of value to the student who desires an insight into 
the actual knowledge of the teachings, and an under- 
standing of its basic principles, Several volumes of 
*Abdu’l-Baha’s addresses are available in English. Paris 
Talks, London Talks, The Promulgation of Universal 
Peace etc. The first two of these volumes record 
discourses given abroad; the latter volume, talks given 
in America. ’Abdt’l-Baha’s mission was that of ampli- 
fying and applying the truth as revealed by Baha’u'llah. 
This ’Abdu’l-Baha accomplished by his life of service 
and example even more than by his words. His life 
was his book. He was endowed with that power of 
transmitting which enabled his followers to realize 
and assimilate the spiritual admonitions of Baha- 
"allah, 

In reading the translations of the writings of the 
_ Bab, Baha'u'llah and ’Abdw’1-Bahda, the western reader, 
unaccustomed to the thought and expression of the 
— Orient, will do well to bear in mind two things: First, 

that these original writings were in the symbolic and 
florid style of the Persian or Arabic tongues; that many 
of the expressions and similies are untranslatable and, 
_ perforce, have been rendered literally, and that much of 
_ the rich poetic oriental expression is out of harmony 
_ with the more matter-of-fact occidental tongue, through 
- which, in translation, it is forced to express itself. 








Second, many of these epistles were sent to people — 


surrounded by religious and intellectual conditions — 


foreign to those to which we are accustomed here in > 


the western world. The object of these teachers being 


to make spiritual connection with souls, they at one 
time employ a certain line of thought and terminology — 


to reach those whom they would teach, and at other 


times approach their subject from an entirely different — 
point of view. For instance, in order to reach a Mus!’im : 


the argument must be Islamic, whereas to reach - ah 


Christian it must be Christian. 

In studying these writings let the reader first fax 
miliarize himself with all the conditions under which 
they were written: the writer, the people to whom 
he was writing, their previous religious training, the 


tongue, etc., then he will understand the spiritual 


wisdom of the writings, and the truth will not be 


obscured by the expression, names or terminology. 
Le eA 


In order to produce world unity the Baha'is teach 
that the superstitions and prejudices of past ages must 


be removed from'man’s mind. Lack of education 


creates narrowness and prejudice; education brings 


broadness of view and sympathy with others, therefore a 


a strong move for education is necessary. 


The past systems of narrow training in matters * 


of religion have tended more towards perpetuating 


than eradicating inharmony between men. The fol- — 


lowers of the different religions being at variance — 


with one another, have in their educational systems — 


handed down to coming generations the prejudice, th 
ignorance, and dogmatism of past generations, thus 





instilling into the children all the soul-retarding ele- 
ments of thought and superstition of the parents. 
Now, in this enlightened age there has appeared in 
the world simultaneously with the Baha’i Revelation 
a new order of educational methods. Former dogma 
and prejudice are no longer taught to children, and 
the minds of the youths of this generation are not 
thus limited and handicapped. In fact, in freeing our — 
educational systems from the superstitions, prejudices 
and dogmas of the past, the mistake of eliminating 
also all spiritual precepts from the general instruction 
of children has been made. Thinking educators of this 
day are beginning to see the demoralizing results of 
this lack of spiritual instruction in the present educa- 
tional system. In the people of this generation is 
manifest, to an alarming degree, the inroads of vices 
against which they are unable to protect themselves 
because of the want of moral and spiritual training 
and poise. 
-“Abdi’l-Bahé taught an all-round education. Man 
is a combination of several natures, and his general 
well-being depends upon a balanced training and de- 
velopment, He must train and develop his pbysical | 
powers in order to have a good and perfect organism 
through which to manifest the higher man. Psychi- — 
cally and mentally, he must train and develop the pow- 
ers of perception, memory and reason, that he may 
have a mental organism through which to manifest 
the higher spiritual nature. Man’s spiritual training 
and soul development is the most important of all 
education. 








we 


the spiritual key-note of that age, creating a religious 
consciousness in the heart of humanity, which is the 
dynamic motive force of an onward civilization, s0 now 
in this present age the world teacher, Baha’u’llah, has 
arisen, giving the universal religion, calling the whole 


world to one spiritual world-consciousness, exhorting 


As each epoch in the spiritual progress of the world : 
has had its divine guide or prophet who has voiced 


all people to study into the principles and teachings — 


of his doctrines and to enter into the spirit of his 


Cause. 


In the light of this present day the truths contained — 


in the teachings of the Baha'i Revelation are self evi- 


dent to those who study the writings. Humanity 


needs this spiritual education. Through this education 
mankind will become united in one world-consciousness 
and the universal civilization will be realized. 


i eh 


VI 
PROPHESIES FULFILLED. 
Some Biblical Prophesies showing the 


Relation of the Baha’i Revelation 


To Jewdaism and Christianity 








THE RELATION OF THE BAHA’I REVELATION 
TO JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY. 


In the beginning of the Fourth Gospel it is written: 
« In the beginning was the Word, and the Word, 
was with God, and the Word was Gou: » 

The Bahai teaches that it is through the Word of 
God manifested in the temple of a perfect man that 
humanity becomes quickened with spiritual life, obtains 
divine knowledge, receives spiritual assurance, is enabled 
to rise above the conditions of ignorance and attain 
both material and spiritual civilization. Thus the 
Spirit of God speaks and is disclosed to man through 
the prophets or Manifestations. Infinite Deity is be- 
yond the comprehension of man: yet, through the 
Manifestation of Deity man is enabled to come into 
touch with God, to comprehend and to know Him 
through the characteristics and attributes of the perfect 
man or Manifestation of God, and to attain to divine 


- knowledge which is eternal life. By this is not meant 


that the essence of the infinite Deity is contained or 
confined in the personality of the revelator, but that 
the soul of the Manifestation is as a clear mirror 
which mirrors forth or manifests the divine attributes. 
Everywhere in the world of nature is seen the result 
of God’s creative power, yet this has never awakened 


_ nor brought spiritual quickening, divine joy, nor comfort 


to the soul of man. This is because God’s creation, 


—* er 
eee on ig Sie 
aa eee » 
BC ae, (eho “ie 

~ ae . 








90 


though it emanates from him, yet it does not manifest 
him. The heart of man is only divinely quickened 
and. spiritually resuscitated through the appearance of 
the Manifestations of God, the Word revealed. 

The Manifestation of the Word or of the Spirit 
through the prophets or « chosen ones, » is the unique 
source of the spiritual quickening and the divine 
enlightenment of man. This source is of God, not man. 
Though the prophets and divine teachers were men, 


their spiritual power and divine strength was not | 


because of human virtue or wisdom. Their spiritual 
power to change man’s nature and to create great 
Spiritual awakening in the world was due to the Spirit 
of God which inspired, or spoke through, the Manifes- 
tations of God. The Word of God is a life-giving, a 
creative power. Through it slumbering humanity is 
quickened with spiritual wisdom, and the soul of man 
is lifted from the condition of ignorance to that of 
knowledge and wisdom. The advancement of the world 
of humanity is due to the quickening power of the 
Word. From it proceeds the very seed of civilization 
and the progress of mankind. Through it man is 
divinely quickened and born into the Kingdom of God. 
» The inner spiritual teachings of the divine Manifes- 
tations have been one and the same in substance, — 
differing only in degree. The degree of the spiritual 
knowledge manifested has been always commensurate - 

with the degree of the spiritual capacity of the peoples 
to whom the prophets ministered. The outer teach- 
ings, including the divine laws and ordinances of the 
revelators have differed in every age. These specific 





ER CNM N TRC Melee tar One PWN Cial enn Moutrm Tne sep Meenas on yah rcineatce MSE TE Ca CR Mey Ea MMe Uh HE 
Cla ee Citta ane ar he AFI aL Lees Nodes TE tikes ‘ ‘ ae 
eA pia te aM i Bee Ty Hi ; 
j a Mh Cah ver tie 





Oh 


instructions have always been given in conformity with 


the material condition peculiar to the various ages. 
The Baha’is regard the divine power which manifested 
through all the prophets and Manifestations as the 
same, being the one eternal, unchangeable Spirit of 
God manifest. However, these. divers Manifestations 


and prophets if viewed from the human standpoint, 
are seen to be different personalities, giving different 


teachings and establishing difterent religious systems. 
_ The laws and ordinances as given to the world by 
the Manifestations and prophets have had a deep spir- 
itual effect upon man. They were given through 


divine wisdom, and by obedience to them, the living 


out of the same by man, conditions were created which 
were necessary for the fuller and unhampered spir- 
itual unfoldment of humanity. It is for this reason that 


each revelator has insisted that the people follow his 


ordnances. It was for their own good that he com- 
manded this. Their welfare eas upon following 
his injunctions. 

The prophets have been seers as well as sources of 
divine life. Because of their spritual understanding 


they were able to indicate in their teachings the 


material signs and conditions as well as the more 


spiritual ones, which would characterize the advent 
of succeeding Manifestations. 
The « return » of the prophets does not refer to the 


_ return to this world of the individual person. It re- 


fers to the return in another individuality, manifesting 


- the same impersonal Spirit — the Word or Spirit of 
God — which spoke through the prophets of the past; 





92 


as, for example, in John the Baptist was the return of — 
the spirit of Elijah, but not the individual person of 
the former prophet of Israel. 

With the passing of centuries, people ceased to 
differentiate between the individuality of the Manifes- 
tation and the Spirit of God which spoke through 
him; hence, instead of looking for the return of this 
Spirit of God, manifesting through another personality, 
many people in these latter days, make the mistake — 
of looking for the personal, individual return to earth — 
of their own particular prophet. : 

The mission of each divine revelator has been to 
announce and to prepare the way for the brotherhood 
of the Kingdom among men. Hach has accomplished 
his mission, speaking and teaching through symbols 
and parables suited to the peoples of his day. Each 
quickened the souls of the people with divine life, and 
each foretold the coming of the great latter-day rev- 
elator who was to establish the Kingdon of Peace on > 
earth. yh 

The Bahd’is believe that in Jesus appeared « The 
Word », or the Spirit of God, This differentiated him — 
from other men. By virtue of the Divine Spirit which — 
spoke through him, he was the Christ, the Manifesta- — 
tion of God among men. Through him souls became — 
spiritually quickened, were reborn and were lifted — 
from the condition of spiritual ignorance, called sin, — 
into one of spiritual enlightenment, called salvation. 

Like the mission of every divine Manifestation, that 
of Jesus the Christ, was a three-fold one. First, he — 
fulfilled the prophecies of the prophets who preceded — 








93 

- him and proclaimed his coming. In him was the con- 
- summation of the former dispensations. Second, he 
was the unique source of divine enlightenment to the 
people of his dispensation, and through the power of 
his word he founded his Cause. Third, he prepared the 
way for the coming of the great latter-day revelation 
fulfilled in Baha’u’ll4h — God manifesting himself 
as the Father — whom he and all prophets foretold 
would arise in the fulness of time and establish the 
Kingdom of God upon earth. 

Jesus explained the great divine plan of the ages 
for the spiritualization of the world in its entirety in 
_ the parable of « the Householder which planted a 
vineyard » (Matthew 21: 33-41), in which the house- 
holder is symbolic of God, the creator of the world. 
The vineyard symbolizes the people of the world, 
while the husbandmen are the leaders of the people. 
His servants represent the prophets sent by the Lord 
to call the world to righteousness and divine obedience, 
all of whom the people persecuted and rejected, His 
son is Jesus, the Christ, whose teaching was refused 
_ by the people who crucified him. « When the Lord 
_ therefore of the vineyard cometh, » refers to the coming 
of the latter-day revelator Baha’u’llah while « He will 
miserably destroy those wicked men and will let out — 
his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render 
_ him the fruits in their seasons », is prophetic of the great 
outpouring of divine grace through this new revela- 
tion, which will be so great as to overcome and dispel 
_ the great power of evil, — spiritual ignorance — which 
is dominating humanity. This day is the time of the 





G “OVE ts Fd ee MENS Pe Sis ele {\ ie te 
, shell Apa ap RCE UE at aD rs 
Pe nC AAO RO ARAMA MANUAL BACT Biinan dates iin bata 
foun Sa ) Eira Cons ag 5 Briel ti: irae itt 


94 


world’s turning from humanity to divinity. Baha’u’llah 
has brought to the world a new day, for with his com- 
ing old conditions passed away and a new dispensa- 
tion was ushered into existence. The law of equity, 
« An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth », and the 
Christ law of mercy and love have for centuries been 
known to man, but the power to enable humanity to 
triumphantly live according to the Christ law has been — 
given to the world through Bahé’u’lléh. 

When the Spirit of God came into the world mani- — 
festing as the « Son », Jesus Christ, the world rejected 
him; « but as many as received him, to them gave he 
power to become the sons of God, even to them that — 
believe on his name ». To those individual souls he 
gave his peace, but not to the world, because the world 
did not receive him, This he announced when he said: 
« Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; 
I came not to send peace, but a sword ». Here again, 
aS well as in other instances, Christ states that his 
dispensation was to be a militant one, which would in 
the end of the age be followed by another, a trium- 
phant dispensation of divine grace and peace here upon — 
earth. The history of the nineteen hundred years of | 
the dispensation of Christ testifies to the truth of this — 
prophecy of Jesus. Now Bahd’u’ll4h has brought that — 
peace to the world. He is « The Prince of Peace », 
who has come and has established the foundation of 
peace on earth. How clearly Isaiah the prophet saw 
this coming of the Lord in these latter days when he 
wrote: «For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is 
given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder. 





ie ew he Tey eh 7 oa aca) Vile ke we Pe | ROU Ser it sad WAM ell aisles Oa Wane Gm Pe eam tia BAB WLy) eeadt Pab Bea ant 7 
as Got he we bel Neg aig ag bats it mite As ay Perea ay is i) ayaa Wet rT, 4 : 
Ua Er Emr ise Pina GPO Don ae { Sa ri, { } 


95 
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, 
The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace ». 

Those whose souls are touched by the living spirit 
of Christianity, and who are alive to its reality, recog- 
nize that the Bahd’i teaching is the flowering out and 
the perfecting of Cristianity; for to be a real Christian 
in spirit is to be a Baha'i, and to be a real Bahd’i is 
to be a Christian. As one reads the words of Christ 
and the testimony of the apostles who received from 
him many teachings, there stands out one promise 


above all other things: his second coming among men, 
another appearance of the Christ spirit, the Word of 


God in the temple of man as the establisher of the 


Kingdom triumphant; this revelation to be the begin- 


ning of the end of the old order of human differences, 
and at the same time to usher in the new order of 
divine peace here on earth. All is summed up in the 
promise ; « the kingdoms of this world are become the 
Kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall 
reign forever and ever ». | 

The Bahd#’is regard the Hebrew prophets as revealers 


of divine truth. Through these various channels the 


Word was revealed, souls were quickened with divine 


_ life and obeyed the divine laws, and the way was pre- 


aya 
ee 


pared for the coming of the Kingdom on earth, These 


prophets from the earliest, before Abraham, down to — 
the last, Malachi, formed a complete chain. Hach built 
upon the foundation of the teachings of his predeces- 
sors; each ministered to the spiritual needs of the peo- 
ple of his day, and each extended to humanity the 
promise of the coming of the Lord at the end of the 








days and of the righting of all things in the establish- i 


ment of the reign of God among men. As one reads — 


the Hebrew Scriptures, the prophecies of the coming of 
the triumphant Messianic dispensation are found to be 
the one great thread running through all. In this prom- 
ise is heard the one divine voice of the Word of God 
speaking through the personalities of the many proph- 
ets or mouthpieces, or channels of truths. 

In the Jewish holy books are found prophecies per- 
taining in particular to three holy ones to come in — 
these latter days. The coming of Elijah before the 
appearance of the Lord, or « Ancient of Days »; the 
coming of the Lord and his Servant, « the BRANCH »>. 

The prophecies regarding the coming of these three 
holy personages were fulfilled in the coming of the Bab, 
of Baha'u'llah and of ’Abdt’l-Baha, Il was through the — 
study of the prophecies regarding the second coming, as 
recorded by the prophet Daniel, that the Millerites learn- 
ed that the Lord was to come in the year 1844. They 
expected His miraculous appearance in the clouds and 
were disappointed, The Bab came, and ‘Abdi’l-Bahé 
was born at this appointed time, fulfilling prophecy, — 
but in a manner not anticipated by men. The coun- — 
try. of Carmel and Sharon in the Holy Land, to which — 


Baha'u'llah was sent in exile and where he lived and ~ 


taught, was the place designated by the ancient seers 
of Biblical fame where the « Ancient of Days » would 
appear. The glory of the Lord of Hosts to come, and ~ 
the power and majesty of his spiritual rule upon earth, 
are testified to by prophet and psalmist in the most — 
inspiring passages of Hebrew sacred writ; while the 





Sc SAL UES CSc Ny. aides ais ie Ad SA ae Ad te Ma Qu SRM eae AR CaS a en A a EOL SES od MM AGA 8 





97 


peace, prosperity and general upliftment of humanity 
resulting therefrom are most vividly depicted. _ 

The mission of the Jewish people was a religious 
one. From the seed of the prophet Abraham, the pro- 
genitor of these people, have come the founders of great 
religions of the past, as well as the founders of the 
great religion of the present, From Abraham, through 
the line of Isaac, came Moses and Jesus; through Ish- 
mael came Muhammad and the Bab; while from the 
line of another son was descended ie * from whom 
descended Baha'u'llah. 


* Abraham had six sons other than Isaac and Ishmael. This 
is not Jesse, the father of David, bnt another of the same name. 
This point was explained to the wirter by’Abdwu’l-Baha at Haifa, 
May 1910. 








’ 


E RELATION OF THE BAHA’T REVELATION 


To the religions of the Orient: 
_ Islam-Buddhism-Hinduism-Zoroastrianism. 








i as Dae a Pte A wa ae oie A igen abd Voy) ativan} of ek sah ear bo al 
4 cs 


THE RELATION OF THE BAHA’I REVELATION 
TO THE RELIGIONS OF THE ORIENT. 


As the peoples of the various religions of the Orient 
come into the realization and spirit of the Baha'i 
Revelation, their faith in the truth of their own reli- 
gion is augmented and not lessened; for the spirit of 
this present day teaching is the same as that which 
actuated the early fathers of the ancient religions, and 
in its doctrines, tenets, and institutions, the peoples of 
the former religions find the realization and fulfilment 
of their own holy books, 


ISLAM. 


The prophet Muhammad taught submission to the 
will of God. Isl4m means « submission »» Muhammad 
arose in Arabia at a time of spiritual need when the 
people were submerged in ignorance and superstition. 
Through his guidance, idolatry and immorality were 
changed into the worship of the one God and high moral 
standards. He broughta code of laws and ordinances 
adapted to the spiritual and material needs of the 
people of his day. These people, because of their 
extreme degradation, had been untouched both by 
Judaism and Cristianity. They needed a teaching and 








a code of laws suited to their own special condition, — 
The rise of the Muslim civilization has had no par- — 


allel in history. United under the standard of the 
belief in one God and the immortality of the soul, 


the fierce sons of the Arabian desert in an incredibly — 
short time evolved from savagery into a highly cul- — 


tured people; their sciences, arts and literature having 


contributed much toward our present western civili- 
zation, 

As division, superstition, and decay crept into the 
Musl’im Church the people retrograded, until in a few 


centuries after the death of Muhammad the real spirit — 


of his teaching was a thing of the past, and Muslim 
civilization was in decline. 


Like Cristianity and every other religion, the real. 


Islam must not be judged by its present day followers 
The student must go to the source in order to ascer- 
tain its spirit and truths, In Christianity, the building 
of barriers, and the divisions and wars between the 
sects is one thing, while the constructive teaching of 


Christ is quite another, So itisin Islam. The present — 


plight of this people and the state to which the DO 
called them are ideed very different; 


i 
* 


Muhammad prepared the people for the great latterly : 
day Baha'i Revelation. The Musl’ims look for three © 
Manifestations in the latter day, — this being literally ~ 


expressed in their traditional teachings (Hadith) as — 


a 


three trumpet calls. According to the traditions of — 
Islam, seven years, and forty years, and seventy years — 


respectively, were to separate these calls or comings, 
These periods correspond to the missions of the Bab — 


Ste ee 
fe -%. e 
Bee ect Tae : 
oy hp eee 





Sg ay aia 


Te 108 


which was cut short in the seventh year of his min- 


inistry (18441841); to that of Baha’wll4h which con- 


tinued forty years (1852-1892), and to that service of 
’Abdw’l-Baha which came to a close in the seventieth 
year from the rise of Baha’u’llah in 1852 to the ascen- 


' sion of ’Abdt’l-Bahd in 1921. 


Islam teaches of a day (a time or period) of spiritual 


j resurrection and judgment, and of the coming of the 


Christ Kingdom, preceded by the Mihd‘i, — director 
or guide — and of the establishment of the divine 


peace on earth. Musl‘ims believe the latter-day time 
of spiritual awakening or resurrection, through the 
- giving forth of the Word of God, to be the time of the 


world’s judgment, the people being their own judges, 
as they choose to accept or to reject the newly reveal- 
ed truth. This time was to be accompanied by cer- 
tain signs similar to those mentioned in the Bible, such 
as the coming of the spirit of Anti-Christ, which is 
infidelity, decay of religious faith among men, and the 
accompanying demoralization which this must bring 


with it. 

_ Many Musl‘ims have come into the Baha'i faith, ac- 
. cepting the Bab as the promised Mihd‘i and Baha'u'llah 
as the Christ (Spirit), who was to come, for both have 





fulfilled their prophecies and traditions of which there 
are many. According to them, the Bab appeared from 
the Hast and made his public declaration at Mecca, at 
the place and time prophesied, 1824, A. D. or 1260 A. H., 


-and taught during the anticipated length of time. 


Also, Baha’u’llah arose in Iraq and was taken to Akka and 


Carmel in Syria. His mission lasted forty years, The 


PH at aise uaanot ase agit an nett WAT mete Wee NPR Pah) she Biya Ie a reat ¥ Wy Ge PIR enat Hon AS 40 et ib an PD see ts 
ny ial / aD % ead nek Pir h at Ry; ta SE Lyi 
ce af ui yoy : 4 i : iyo Pits PL Wyetie a! 
i pl iY A A . 4 











ALDEN A Ne nyt (i re is ANS yp eh qe f. pe Shar And at ee ERAS y Pa oy heh es 
Best: Aut Aa ey otoRa: Fat AM cia’ / ‘ RINNE aL See ee cay . 


ay 
ne 
Pak 
aire 


104, 


many details are so clearly traced in Islamic tradition — 


and Qur’dnic prophecy, that it is very easy for the 


orthodox Musl’im to realize the truth of the elaims — 


of both, and to see in their missions the fulfilment 
of the Islamic prophecies. 


HINDUISM 


The origin of Hinduism (Brahmanism), on account — 
of the lack of annals and records in its literature, is — 
practically lost to history. As it now is Hinduism is” 


a most complex system of philosophical thought, man- 
ners and customs. It lacks that unity of spirit and 


of form which the teaching originally possessed. In 


all religious systems men’s ideals have gradually re- 
placed the inspired wisdom of the founders. In the 


religion of Hindustan this is particularly true, so that 


itis only with the greatest difficulty that the original 
spirit and teaching can be traced. Even some of the 
students of Hindu philosophy have doubted that orig- 


inally Hinduism was a revealed teaching, for since its — 
sacred books contain no chronicles, the personalities — 
of the revealors have been lost. Of the truth in the - 
original Hindu teachings, however, there is no doubt, 
for the voice of the spirit, the source of all religion, — 
speaks yet today through its holy books, despite the 
lapse. of time since they were written. The teaching 
in its original purity was a simple monotheism, — 
The divine spirit spoke to the people through the 
mediumship of different personalities at different 


id © ed hat OA OP ee Pee OB UT Pe 2 Meee dee Oe, | 

Re i Cewita dy Mahe 

Ta Bde st ey Yate eal poy pee ep 

Miah Me av ealirniay 2 ee AY ry mn 
MAL Apes 








105 


times. These inspired souls arose as the need for their 
teachings became evident among men, and they became 
the spiritual guides. 

This thought is most clearly expressed in one of the 
Hindu sacred books, the Bhagavad-Gita, or the Lord’s 
Song, in which it is written; « Whenever there is 
_ decay of righteousness and there is exaltation of 

unrighteousness, then I Myself come forth. For the 

destruction of evil doers, for the sake of firmly estab- 
lishing righteousness, [ am born fromage to age. The 
foolish disregard Me when clad in human semblance, | 
ignorant of My supreme nature, the great Lord of 
beings. » The Hindus have here one of the promises 
of the coming of a great incarnation, Krishna, or the — 
Avatar, to occur in this day. He was to arise and 
establish universal righteousness and destroy spiritual 
ignorance or sin. 

The latter-day Krishna was to lead the people back 
to the spirit of the pure teaching as given by his 
predecessors, (former Manifestations of the spirit of 
the Lord), and through spiritual wisdom and power. 
was to overcome all unrighteousness, establishing in 
its place spiritual enlightenment. Those illumined 
Hindus whom the Baha'i Cause is reaching, see in 
Baha'u'llah the incarnation of the Spirit of God, and 
they accept him as their promised one. 

Thus the Baha’i Revelation confirms the Hindu in 
the fundamental truth of his own religion, and frees 
him from the superstition and caste which have for 
centuries kept his people in a state of both spiritual 
and physical bondage. Under this influence he attains 





to the real spirit of sacrifice as piven in his ancient 
teachings, and to the real emancipation of the soul, 
which is in truth the fundamental tenet of the most | 
ancient Hindu teaching. 


BUDDHISM. 


Mh is 


Buddhism stands in the relation to Hinduism much © 
as Christianity does to Judaism. Christianity sprang — 
from Judaism - the mother religion. In like manner 
Buddhism came out from Hinduism. The Buddha taught © 
of the one God, and of the life eternal. The state of — 


nearness to God is termed nirvana by the Buddhists. 


It is synonymous with the word heaven as used in © 


the holy writings of other religions. Gautama wrote . 


no books. The events of his life and his words and 
teachings were recorded by his disciples and have been 
handed down to the people of succeeding generations. 


\ 


Of the original teachings of the Buddha much has 
been lost and replaced by the doctrines and beliefs - 
of men who came after him, In fact the latter-day 
Buddhist teachings, so rich in the ramifications and — 


speculations of philosophical thought, bear about as 
much resemblance to the orginal spiritual teachings — 
of the Buddha, as the present-day multiplicity of creeds — 
of any one of the world religions bears to the real 
teachings and life of its founder, 

The Buddhist teaching in its purity, like that of 
the Baha'is, considers all religions from the spiritual 
standpoint to be common truths of the one universal « 


4, ; A 


4) 


y 
cp ny 
2 


oe 





107 


religion. The Buddhists are without religious prejudice. 
They welcome all high elevating thought.and teaching 
irrespective of its source. They believe Gautama, the 
Buddha, to have been one of a series of divinely in- 
spired souls sent to the peoples of various ages, for the 
divine training and guidance of mankind. As there were 
Buddhas who preceded him, so there will be Buddhas 
who will succeed him. They expect the coming 
and according to their traditions, he is now due. His 
work is to be with all mankind, and through him the 
earthly conditions ofthe past are to change and be re- 
placed by an age of divine wisdom and understand- 
ing. 

The following excerpt from the recorded teachings 
of Gautama to his disciple Ananda, given just previ- 
ous to his death, explains in a few words much of 
his teaching. « I am not the first Buddha who came 

upon earth, nor shall I be the last. I came to teach you 
the truth, and I have founded upon earth the King- 
dom of Truth, Gautama Siddhartha will die, but Buddha . 
will live, for Buddha is the truth and the truth cannot 
die. He who believes in the truth and lives in it is 
‘my disciple, and I shall teach him. The religion which 
_I have preached to you will flourish so long as my disci- 
ples cling to the truth and lead a life of purity. In due 
; time another Buddha will arise, and he will reveal to 
‘ you the selfsame eternal truth which I have taught 
you». Ananda asked: « How shall we know him»? 
Gautama replied: « He will be known as Maitreya, 
_ which means "He whose name is Kindness’ >. 
_ The Buddhists in Japan and Burma coming into the 











108 


Baha'i Cause, find in Baha’u’ll4h the return of their 
promised Buddha. 


ZOROASTRIANISM. 


The present Zoroastrians, or Parsees, are but the 
remnant of a once powerful people. During the many 
vicissitudes of war and national decay their ancient 
political power has become dissipated ; through contact 
with peoples of other religions their original religious 
teaching has lost its purity, and a lifeless formalism 
has taken the place of its once vital spiritual force. 

Zoroaster taught a pure monotheism and the future 
existence and immortality of the soul, all of which he 
explained to the people in familiar terms and parables. 
The physical sun, which is the source of all physical life, 
he used as thesymbol for the Sun of Truth, the Mani- 
festation of God, the source of all spiritual life, while 
the stars symbolized the lesser prophets. Purity is a 
fundamental teaching in Zoroastrianism. Both spiritual 
and physical purity are taught in its laws and ordi- 
nances, which were given in terms couched to meet 
the need of mankind in that ancient day. Fire being 
the great cleanser, it is the emblem used in this faith 
to denote spiritual purity, for it is through the spirit- 
ual fire of the love of God that men’s souls are puri- 
fied and quickened into: eternal life. Zoroaster is pic- 
tured as bringing down from heaven the divine fir 
with which to purify mankind. The spiritual meaning 







Ae) 
ih j 4 


109 


of this is apparent, although for centuries the under- 
standing of these truths.was lost, and the people igno- 
rantly adhered to the outer forms, worshiping the sun, 
the stars and fire, hence the term applied to them, 
« Sun and Fire Worshipers >. 

The same idea of resurrection or quickening. spir- 
itual judgment and the Kingdom of God on earth, 
expressed in other religious teachings, are found in 
Zoroastrianism. The end of the Zoroastrian dispen- 
sation as foretold in their sacred literature, would 
be characterized by spiritual impurity; therefore the 
need of another Manifestation to bring to earth the 
divine fire of the love of God for the purification of 
all people. The teaching has a number of prophecies 
regarding the coming of the great latter-day prophet, 
spoken of as Shah Bahram, and the purification of the 
people of the earth by fire, — the fire of the Spirit. 

The Zoroastrians in India and Persia who are now 
realizing the message of the Baha'i Revelation, accept 
it as the fulfilment of the prophecies and the spirit of 
their own religion, and through this teaching they 
are coming into touch with kindred spirits in all the 
world. Thus they are arising to perform their service 
in this great work of uniting all men in the love of 
the Kingdom, 








VITl, 


WORSHIP 
— The Mashriqu’l-Adhkar a 
(The Baha’i Temple with its accessory insitutions) 
Prayer and Praise .and Service to Humanity the 


Elemements of True Worship. 








THE BAHA’I TEACHINGS 
REGARDING WORSHIP. 


In the Baha’i Teachings provision is made for temples 


of worship, about which are to center the spiritual 


and philanthropic activities of the Cause, and from 
which will be diffused the divine teachings of the reli- 
gion, together with the Baha’i spirit manifested through 
service to humanity. 

Eventually in every Baha’i center there will be a 


; building (Temple) set apart for the Lord’s Cause. Group- 
ed about this.as a center will be the various insti- 


tutions for the benefit of man; hospitals, homes, hos- 
pices, colleges and other philanthropic enterprises. All 
of these buildings together will constitute the Mash- 
riqu’l-Adhkar. aa 

The Mashriqu’l-Adhkar. which translated from the 


Persian literally means « The dawning point of the 


mentionings of God, » is the Baha’i Temple of worship 


and service to humanity. It consists of a central 


building for worship, the temple proper, surrounded 


by schools, hospitals and hospices, homes and asylums 


_ for the orphan, for the incurable and for the aged, 


and also by colleges and a university. The temple of 
the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar is for reading, meditation and 
prayer. It is essentially a place for worship, for 


_ drawing near in spirit to God. Thus it will be a 


i . 5 7 
wet ¥ 7 
.- 7 


center of spiritual power and attraction exerting a 
divine influence in the world while through the sur- 


8 





114 : 


rounding institutions will be manifest this inspira- — 
tion to the world by loving service to humanity. 

Its many surrounding institutions are for the prac- 
tical, moral and physical service to humanity. The 
Baha’is teach that man should glorify God in deed 


as well as by word of mouth, therefore this principle is © 


embodied in its fullest expression in their temples. 
The central building, or temple proper, will be a 
nine-sided structure surmounted by a dome and sur- 
rounded by gardens.. The number nine, greatest ofall — 
simple numbers, is used to symbolize the Spirit of 
God manifest. This universal temple of worship is — 
open to all, here people of all races and religions 
can worship God individually in spirit and in truth, — 
without the intermediary of church, priest or ritual. — 
The practical institutions of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar 
will afford the opportunity for the establishment in — 
the world of all branches of those progressive works 
for which the Bahai Cause stands, In this day re- 
ligion is to be the direct source of inspiration in all 
secular affairs. The Baha’i faith stands as the promoter 
of advancement in every line of human activity and 
development, and therefore every phase of these in- 
numerable activities will draw life from, and be an 
integral part of, the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar. In the Bahai 
Teachings one finds exhortations to prayer and worship — 
upon the one hand, and exhortations to work, and 
to serve humanity upon the other, « Faith without — 
deeds is not acceptable, » therefore the Bahd’i reli- 
gious work includes all work and service needful to — 
Iman, This faith stands for all material and social — 





115 


progress, and this ideal is developed in the Mashriqu’l- 
_ Adhkar, 


As one reviews history, he sees that every religion 
has had its temples of worship. In the epoch of the 


early Israelitish prophets the people led nomadic lives 


going up into the mountains at stated times for their 


religious observances; thus the open air altars on the 


mountains were the recognized centers of the religious 


life of the people. 


Later, while the children of Israel were migrating 


- from Egypt to the Holy Land, the tabernacle occupied 


the central position in their encampment, and subse- 
quently, in their capital city, Jerusalem, the temple of 
the Lord crowned the highest hill and was the center 
of the intellectual, material and religious life of the 
people. 

Still later, in the typical Christian city of long ago, 
the cathedral was the great central edifice about which 
the other buildings of the city, religious and secular, 
were grouped. The religious life of the people of this 


epoch was all important, and this principle was express- 


ed in the architectural development of their cities, and 


so it has ever been in other religions. 


The temple of each religion and civilization is always 


found to be a focal point of the city architectural. 
: The acropolii of the Greek cities, upon the summits of 


i 


‘ 


_ testify that each religion has been creative of its own 





' which were the temples; the forums of the Roman cit- 
jes with their many temples; the mosques of the Musl’- 
im cities; the fire altars of the Zoroastrians; the pa- 
godas of the Buddhists; and temples of the Hindus, all 


Lee TO PE Dar 2 Se NINES tS Far ae ST 0 ee ie A de kde he aT A  ail 1a ee el s| ih OS er eee ET ae oh RA eT of Mee So Pi ee eee or Le er Sad, bre a aun reels be mee Tae 
Uren eh as tala ai vooatla LUC al bet MY Reg an ade Reo a NAS gh On A ee ean i ec eet ate aE LitS eA AES a aah iylioct, 
ip We PR! ae Aad ait 3 Hie nt MAR Be Aaah doi Pal WA uly 4 Ohi ya Ln Te iy 2A, f ‘ : 
at q hi Bi ive ! / A 
(ye, i 





LHe MAE TO POD aE, y ER ATE SpA AUT OS CORE TIPE 2 GEE See Een (LR, eee RE Ba 
ay PE SEO BAR NBS 8 ORL F GO SRT Nae ea RE SEN Ree 
HN fh Ke teh PME eNO UMN IE Uns a. Toor Wet Wil sa) 
ae PRS wy hy i) fy nS sa) Saar Th Rats rie ee. sf - v" 
. 4 WLSCe J OP 9 
116 


art and civilization in the evolution of an epochal 
temple. 

As in times past true religion has been the chief 
motive force for advancement, learning and culture. . 
The Baha’is now anticipate fi day when great uni-— 
versal temples for the worship of God will be built, 
as a result of the spiritual quickening of the people, — 
which will typify and further all progressive phases of © 
this new age of humanity. 

Some years ago the first large Mashriqu’l- Adhkar : 
was built in the city of Ishquébad, in oriental Russia, 
where there is a considerable following of the Bahai — 
Cause, and where the Russian government, both under 
the old regime and that of the present, has been friend- 
ly to the Cause. First, the temple proper was erected, 
an imposing structure in the Persian-Indian style of 
architecture, with its great portal facing in the direction 
of the Holy Land; then a school was founded, and a 
hospice, and now other institutional buildings are being 
added as the necessary ways and means are available. 
This work represents the combined efforts of the Baha’is 
throughout the Orient. Its architectural beauty and 
size testify to the loving sacrificial offerings of those — 
believers, while the idea for which it stands is far above — 
the conception of the surrounding people. fs 

The Baha’is in America are now bulding a Mashriqu’l 
Adhkar. Contributions have been received from the far 
parts of the world sent by persons of different countries, — 
races and religions, for the builiding of this great universal — 
temple in which peoples of every race and ofall religions ~ 
might find a welcome and worship there in spirit and — 





Ve a! Lhe ee FEBS Pe eRe IS PTT aoa Cd fm RAEN Miata Wiese STS ES Sg Pe RTT ae 
vie fe IE at ais iy ie Gl a SM a a 
1 ee : foe eh ia Pam ea SLPLEN Strep 
f ve . an (ah CEILS aw , 
’ > , iy a 





Big?) 


in deeds. A very beautiful site has been acquired in 
the town of Wilmette, just north of the city of Chi- 
- cago, where the foundation and the lower story of this 
edifice have already been built, and so arranged that 
the building is now used for religious activities. It is 
hoped that the superstructure of this temple together 
with the surrounding institutions will soon be built, 
so that in its completed form this Mashriqu’l-Adhkar 
will stand forth as an ensign calling the attention of 
the people, and attracting to its fold all those who seek 
_ the great universal spirit of God’s Cause in the world. 

Of this temple, said ’Abdw’l-Baha: « When these 

institutions, colleges, hospitals, hospice and establish- 
ments for the incurables, university for the study of — 

- higher sciences and giving post-graduate courses, and 
other philanthropic buildings are built, its doors will 
be opened to all the nations and religions and there 
will be absolutely no line of demarcation drawn. Its 
charities will be dispensed irrespective of color or race. 
Its gates will be flung wide open to mankind: preju- 
dice toward none, love for all. The central building 
will be devoted to the purpose of prayer and wor- 
ship. Thus, for the first time, religion will become 
harmonized with science, and science will be the hand- 
maid of religion, both showering their material and 
spiritual gifts on all humanity ». 

In this service of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar the Baha’is 
are laying a foundation for the alleviation of many 
- human ills the existence of which the world in gen- 
_ eral is now aware. The people of the future will under- 
: stand the far-sightedness of these people of today in 








118 





their effort to bring all secular affairs under spiritual 
guidance. It is the foundation for the new order of — 
the spiritual Kingdom upon earth, therefore its impor- — 


tance cannot be overestimated, When it stands accom- 


plished, it will be as a haven of rest to those who 


seek comunion with God within its sacred precincts; 


while outwardly it will be as a banner manifesting tothe — 
world the service and the purpose of the Baha'i Cause. — 
Baha'u'llah taught that prayer and glorification of © 


the divinity, supplemented by a pure and useful life 


in this world, form the elements of true worship. 
Faith without works is not acceptable. Every man 


should have an occupation which conduces to the wel-_ 
fare of humanity, the diligent pursuance of which is — 


in itself an act of worship. 


Not only did Baha’u’llah reveal spiritual laws and 


principles for the people of the world, but he also - 


outlined social reforms for the more material guidance 
and well-being of mankind. | 

The ordinances of the Baha'i faith are in harmony 
with the natural Jaws governing human relation and 


affairs, and are so ordered as to bring forth the high- : 
est and most perfect physical, moral and spiritual — 


development of all who place themselves within the 


sphere of influence, These laws are to be followed © 


by the people from choice, not by compulsion. 


In this Cause there are teachers, but no priesthood me 


nor clergy apart from the laity, such as one sees in 


some of the former religious systems. The Baha’i ae 
teaching is given without money and without price, 
All are teachers, each in his own sphere of life. Those 


7 wa 


Ge al 





Ue as Fe 8 el UU art), See eet ee Uy Cory Pees Pye TR, OO Ce rr re peer, So relat a eee A) ee Reade MY ity, see BE woe 
+ , La shh aa ab baba Mae br a a aah ey Prutee} TNS RAS Te oe dane a a dh Win” » i) HAY Gain Re Ath ct iba ite bi 7 rary oe Whit x " 
cf r Ah a oe aa) NA Lies " isha +h " ; 4 Magy tay Ls 4) ‘aa! ge at XER 
‘ ten Ea nus gil, hess eat) ink tp ’ i 
rs “ t yi 7) wiv Aan \ 





119 


able and fitted to do so, go forth as speakers, while 
others teach quietly by their deeds and by speaking of 
the message when they find a hearer. The Cause 
asks only for the hearts of its followers, nevertheless, 
when the heart is in the work there comes the desire 
to give and to do something material for the move- 
‘ment. The giving of tithes for carrying on the work 
is a Races: 

Baha’wllah, like all of the World's religious teachers, 
laid stress upon prayer and fasting. Both are neces- 
sary for the development of the soul. Through prayer 
the soul is brought into communion with God and 
receives the spiritual sustenance necessary for its life 
and well-being. Through fasting the soul becomes 
freed from the materiality of the flesh; it then ap- 
prehends higher things, becomes conscious of divine 


realities and receives the spiritual life forces in a high- 
er degree than possible under the normal condition of . 


the body. 

Bahd’u'llih clearly states that seeking refuge in creed 
and dogma, and faith without works, are not accepta- 
ble. The Bahai prayer is made individually by the 
suppliant to God. Prayer, supplemented by a pure 
and useful life in this world, forms the elements of 
_ true worship. Every one should have an occupation, 
which conduces to the welfare of humanity, the dili- 
gent pursuance of which is in itself an act of worship. 
} With the development of the spiritual world-unity, 
 Baha’u’ll4h anticipated various universal institutions 


for the great benefit of humanity. He exhorted the 


_ rulers and governments of the world to abolish war- 


7 Lier ate neh age den kt 


Rye on ra sy iia 
Poe PV ip, Yt 





hc hess COA Vostec ay Vie 26. 
a eae Ae hie ers AES ay Vice a 
md uke Mh Sohal Roar el kat Raa ay 
5 psi o. #0 becir arrest 
. sar als WAM Oa aR ESiPee 


120 


fare and establish peace; to settle international diffi- 
culties by arbitration rather than by bloodshed. In> 
order to facilitate international understanding and to 
unite all people, Bahd’u’ll4h advocated a universal lan- 
guage, which would itself be instrumental in the pro- 
motion of mutual understanding and sympathy between 
peoples. 

From Bahéa’u’ll4h’s writings one learns it was not 
his idea that the kings of this earth should cease to 
exist, but rather that all government should be estab- 
lished upon a system of representation, without which 
no government can uphold the rights of the people. 
The followers of Baha should be law-abiding citizens 
in whatever country they may dwell, and they should 
be loyal supporters of all just and righteous govern- 
ments. 

While religion and state will never be reunited upon 
the old lines of creed and dogma, the Baha‘is look for- 
ward to the time when the states, governments of the 
nations, will be based upon a spiritual foundation, 
when the material laws of men will be founded and 
enforced according to the principles of the divine laws 
of God. Religion is necessary to man. Nations, as 
well as individuals, have at times tried to live without 
religion, and the results have always been disastrous. — 
The divine foundation is the only foundation upon 
which to build any institution that shall endure. The — 
ideal government rests upon this foundation, which is 
not a union of church and State, but a union of reli- — 
gion and State. | 


TX. 


ETERNAL LIFE 


The Baha’i Teachings regarding 
- The Word of God, 
Heaven and Hell, 


The Kingdom of God. 








THE BAHA’I TEACHING REGARDING 
_ ETERNAL LIFE. 


« The root of all knowledge is the knowledge of God: 
glory be to Him! And this knowledge is impossible save 
through His Manifestation ». Bahd@ullah. 

« That which is the cause of everlasting life, eternal 
honor, universal enlightenment, real salvation and pros- 
perity, is first of all, the knowledge of God.» Abdil’ Bahd. — 


The Baha’ Revelation teaches that eternal life is the 
condition of the spiritually alive or divinely quickened 
soul. To be merely alive to physical, animal and hu- 
man things is not life according to this religious ter- 
minology. To be alive in the spiritual sense is to be 
quickened by, and to be conscious of, the Spirit of God 
manifest, to believe in him and to do according to 
his will. 

Through the divine mission of the prophet of God, 
or of « the Manifestation » of God, the soul of natural 
man is quickened with divine or eternal life, which is 
as a new and higher dimension added to his human 
nature. By virtue of this divine quickening, and 
_ through turning to the Manifestation, the newly spir- 
_ itually born soul comes directly under divine guidance, 
Although in the world, yet such a divinely quickened 
soul lives in a higher realm than before, — the divine 


~ realm — from which it receives life and a force that 


_ characterizes it with divine qualities. Thus, through 


hy of 
a 





124 


the baptism of the Spirit or the Word of God revealed, — 


the soul passes from the condition of spiritual igno- 


rance or death, into that of spiritual awakeness or — 


eternal life. Hternal life is not a condition to which 
the soul attains through its own virtue augmentative 
or through evolution from the natural plane. Man’s 
capacity to receivé this awakening must have its impetus 
through desire to know God. Hternal life is a gift 


and a bounty from God, bestowed upon natural man — 
through the channel of revelation. It is given sae 


God’s mercy and favor to mankind. | 

There is evolution upon the natural place, but this 
evolution is confined to that plane. Thereis also evo- 
lution upon the spiritual planes, but there is no evo- 
lution from the lower plane to the higher, save through 
the intermediary of the life-giving Spirit which proceeds 
from the Manifestation. In the divine kingdom, before as 
well as after the physical death, there is progression to- 
wards perfection of the type of perfect spiritual man- 
hood; for spiritual-man is the highest being of God's 
creation, above which there is no creation. Male and fe- 
male are conditions of the physical realm and not the 


eternal kingdom. By virtue of the Holy Spirit, manifes- — 
ting through the revealer, the souls of his followers are — 
lifted from the lower plane to the higher plane: from — 
natural manhood to spiritual manhood; they become > 


characterized with divine qualities, and they show forth 
in their lives the fruits of the Spirit. 


As metal is heated in the fire and so partakes of © 
the characteristics of the fire until it is like the fire, so — 
the soul, through the revealed word, becomes charac- 


TINE EOS ER la SR TR a Oe Sa Te ee Rs oe ec 
Cy NE OR eC aR 
ae WA iinet vatan em cdle ia ke 


a) LS ge 
i. ey | 


a? ray Rg A a AEE 205 Dee a Cares aha td hd ee AE Ti 6, ee 
BOOMER, Pesan Ce Na sn ian hepa 
Pee ; wae “LAr 

125 


terized by divine qualities, As with the heated met- 
al, the source of the heat being outside of it, 
when it is removed from the fire it loses the char- 
acteristics of the fire. So it is with the human soul; 
for when the soul of man separates itself from God’s 
Word, divine traits cease to characterize it. The 
source of human life is not man but in the Word 
revealed, and the source of man’s divine enlightenment 
is his dependence upon the Word. | 

Good actions and humanitarian deeds are distinctive of 
the divinely quickened soul; but good deeds are not 
in themselves a proof that a soul is divinely quickened, 
Many souls without faith or spiritual assurrance lead 
exemplary lives according to ethical or human standards, 
while, upon the other hand, many souls sunken in crime 
and depravity, at the hour of death become touched 
by the divine spirit, are born into the Kingdom and 
bring forth the fruits of the divine life. 

Life in the highest and fullest sense exists in that 
soul in which all of the forces, both divine and ma- 
terial, reach their highest development. Neither a 
physically perfect man nor a highly educated man is 
upon the highest plane until he is quickened, and alive 
to the divine realities, The perfect type of manhood 
has an all-round physical, intellectual and divinely 
Spiritual development. As souls are dedicated to God’s 
service and become cleansed and pure from earthly con- 
ditions, then the deepest mysteries of the Kingdom 

become clear to them, All doubts and fears are dis- 
pelled by faith and assurance. In this condition all 
inharmonius conditions are replaced by harmonious 





126 





ones through the love of God a in the soul. : 


This is eternal life. 


Heaven and hell, salvation and sin, light and dark- 


ness, according to the Bahai teaching, are terms ~ 


employed to differentiate the two spiritual conditions — 
of the soul of man. The spiritually quickened soul, 


alive with the life of the spirit, is that condition 
called heaven; while the unawakened soul, not yet 


conscious of the bounty of God, nor alive in His spirit, 


is that state of spiritual lethargy or darkness called ~ 


hell. These two conditions apply to the lite of the soul 
in this world, as they do to the soul in the world 
beyond. As there are conditions of both spiritual 
lethargy or slumber and of spiritual awakeness here in 
this life, so there are these same conditions in the realm 
of the spirit into which the soul passes upon leaving 
this body. | 


Reward and punishment are of two kinds, natural — 


and spiritual. In the world of nature every good act 


in accord with her laws, produces a good effect, and 


every violation of nature's principles has a harmful 
or detrimental effect upon the individual. The reward 


and punishment, the good or the bad effect following — 
the good or bad action of man, is inevitable: it is — 


according to fixed law. Likewise, according to the 


divine law, man advances spiritually, and when he 3 


violates that law he suffers spiritually. Spiritual con- 


ditions however, are more far reaching than material — 


conditions, for they are not limited to this Bet 
plane; they are eternal. 


The greatest blessing which can descend upon ae 


127 


is the knowledge of God. The greatest calamity is to 
be deprived of this knowledge. Through God’s merey 
He has given man the blessing of knowing Him, He 
has also given man free will to accept or reject this 
blessing as he wills, therefore divine knowledge or 
ignorance belongs to man as reward or punishment for 
his choice. 

The soul is an indestructible entity which exists after 
‘its separation or freedom from the material body. Yet 
mere natural existence, either here or in the life be- 
yond, is not life from the spiritual or divine viewpoint. 
A soul in this world may reject the light and be 
Spiritually deprived, and at the same time be totally 
ignorant of its state of deprivation. From the spiritual 
viewpoint, a soul may be in darkness and in spiritual 
torment, but because of lack of spiritual perception, 
this soul may not realize its own condition. As dark- 
ness is but the absence of light, so ignorance is but 
the absence of knowledge, and spiritual death but the 
absence of spiritual life. Evil has no life or positive | 
existence. It is the absence of positive light, Thus 
darkness, ignorance and death are negative and have 
no power within themselves, while light, knowledge 
and life are positive powers, containing those elements 
which dispel their opposites. 

As there are many degrees of spiritual! enlightenment 
for the soul while it inhabits the physical body, so 
are there many degrees for it in the realms beyond 
- this world. In this world man is endowed with the 

freedom of choice. When divine grace is offered him, 
he can accept or reject it as he chooses, Thus his 
‘responsibility is great, Choice between light and 





128 


darkness — divine illumination and ignorance — exists, — 
however, here in this world only. In the realms — 





beyond, these earthly conditions do not exist. There — 


the soul can exercise no free choice, as only the good | 
exists. here spiritual progress wid development are — 


also possible; this does not depend upon the will of the 


individual, but wholly upon the mercy and bounty of — 


God. It is only in this life that man can voluntarily 


choose to accept the life of the spirit, and through 


this choice attain to divine blessings, 


_ The Kingdom of Heaven is, both here and hereafter, — 
for those souls who live in the Lord, Through divine — 


revelation the promise has beén extended to man at 
_ various times through the ages that in the fulness of 


time the quickening Spirit of the Lord, through the 
latter-day revelation would be so poured out upon — 
all men of all races, that the vast majority of mankind 


would he illumined and quickened, and be in a state 
called heaven. The past conditions of spiritual igno- 
rance and darkness would pass, and the day of divine 


wisdom or age of peace would come. The « end of 
_ the world,» the « destruction of the world,» and ~ 
similar terms used in holy writ, are symbolic of the — 
ages of spiritual darkness and sin, and the ushering — 


into existence of the new epoch of general spiritual — 


illumination. The coming age of peace, prosperity, — 
and divine enlightenment, will be the Kingdom of God. 


upon earth. 


The Kingdom hereafther is that state of life in which 


the spiritually illumined souls find themselves after pas- 
sing from the physical body. Man’s objective senses, 





129 


| being of the plane of this natural realm, convey to the 


mind only conceptions of conditions peculiar to this 
material world; therefore, of that immaterial condition 
of the soul in the existence beyond this world man 
can form no mental conception whatever. As the soul 
attains to a greater and fuller divine life, it becomes 
conscious and is assured of the perpetuity and eternal- 
ity of the state of awakening, and has no doubt as to 
the reality of the life eternal, yet cannot form a men- 
tal conception of that condition because it is beyond 
the scope of man’s imagination. 

Before the physical birth of the child into this 


_ world, it is developing its physical organs, the utility 


of which do not become apparent until birth. During 
its pre-natal life, through the mother, the child is 
nourished by life forces from the world into which it 
is to be born. So it is with the spiritual life of the 
soul. While in this body, the soul is developing spi- 
ritual virtues and faculties, the need for, and virtue of 


which, do not now appear, but will become apparent 


when it enters into the life beyond. Again, like the 


_ child, the soul while in this world in spiritually nour- 


ished by forces from that realm into which it 
will be born or enter, upon leaving this earthly 
condition, 

The Baha’is believe that while so-called death in a 
physical sense separates souls for a time, there is in 
reality a spiritual link binding all souls together who 
are alive in the Kingdom of God and partaking of the 
life eternal. The souls in the realm beyond retain 
remembrance of things here, and interest in those dear 


9 





to them. All quickened souls: are spiritually united. ee 
This tie is eternal, It is not dependent upon physical 
means. All souls, born of the spirit, are different mem- _ 
bers of one great spiritual body, and whether those : ‘ 
members are of this earth or in the realm beyond, — 
there is a mystical connection between them which — 
death does not sever. Physical ties are severed when 
the soul leaves the body, but spiritual ties are eternal. 
Through the sincere prayers of friends a soul is helpetie 
while here in this world, and likewise, through the Xie 
intercession of others, a soul having passed from this 
life is helped on his spiritual way in the realm beyond; 
for progress is not confined to this earthly existence.” — 
The souls, too, who have passed on, are able through _ 
their intercession to help those here on earth. All of — 
this is possible because the all-pervading Spirit of God 
is uniting the souls of the Kingdom at all times a 
under all conditions, 





x 
WORLD PEACE. 
THE BAHA’! TEACHING REGARDING 
Its foundation 


and the means for its 


realization 





fo Wh calle i cen EST TN Wad TR Ea A MA ean a ‘ Wain 
Tha! Wines ath ' ite te Wed ular Le Wg Ai vy aor Ky flere’ 


THE BAHA'I TEACHING REGARDING 


WORLD PEACE 


Religious differences have been one of the chief 
causes of warfare, while true religious sympathy and 


understanding have always made for peace and pros- 


perity. Prior to the beginning of the Baha’i Cause, 
little or nothing was being generally taught or written 
about universal peace, arbitration, a universal lan- 


- guage, suffrage or other universal institutions. During 


the past three-quarters of a century, however, the 
universal call of this Cause has gone forth, and grad- 
ually, through much travail and suffering, the world 
has awakened to the necessity for all of these insti- 
tutions for which the Baha’i Cause stands. Now the 


accompanying lack of moral perception, is the real 


cause of our great world ills and of the cataclysmic 
conditions through which the world is now passing. 

While Baha’u’llah’s teaching was ahead of the world 
of his day, the world of today is realizing more and 
more the value of that teaching. The supply and the 
demand are now meeting, from which better condi- 
tions will result. 

The Baha’is believe in a federation of all the na- 
tions, both large and small, and the establishment of a 
world parliament for the judicial settlement of inter- 
national disputes. In treating of this matter of peace 
between the nations, ’Abdu’l-Baha says: 








‘A tribunal will be under the power of God, and 
under the protection of all men. Hach one must Midi 


the decisions of this tribunal, in order to arrange the 
difficulties of every nation. 

About fifty years ago in the Book of Aqddas, Baha’w’- 
llah commanded the people to establish wniversal peace. 


and summoned all the nations to the divine banquet of — 
international arbitration so that the question of bounda- ‘ 
ries and of vital interests between nations, of tone 


honor and property, might be decided by an arbitral — 
court of justice, 

Remember these precepis were given more than half 
a century ago... Bahdwllah proclaimed them: to all 
the sovereigns of the world. They are the spirit of this 
age; the light of this age; they are the well-being of this 
age. | 

With the expansion of civilization and the peopling 
of the world, the field of conquest is so rapidly dimin- 


ishing that already a new competition exists in inter- 
national economic conditions. Financial and commer-— 
cial relations are now becoming so intimate between ~ 
nations, that cooperation must eventually take the 


i 


place of the present warfare of illegitimate compen a ; 


in the business world, otherwise humanity cannot — 


continue to exist. 


Owing to the present international ‘communication : 


and the nearness of nations, war is assuming an gai Wak Vs 
more detrimental to all parties than it has ever had — 


in the past. Arbitration must in the end sapien 


national conquest and warfare if civilization is to con- 


tinue, Likewise, the warlike methods upon which the — 














Be: pe May 1 Hei cohort Waly, PHI bat ake ams Ee eS a ee TY i kes Je, ihe sk obey harass tah |! 
| ips es a cai Mi ogh tig Mr asa inaghs WEST Re UR ARUN dee EHR Le MUN RAR Nn Nao Lhe tt} 
¥ if ie ¥ Ret } ef pita : feiss fy i t (as fie) 


35.70 


world’s commerce has been and is still conducted will, 


ere long, become obsolete, because of the passing of 
the conditions which made those methous possible 
and profitable. 

The Baha’i Cause teaches cooperation in all affairs. 
Through working together for the good of the mass, 


rather than for the aggrandizement of the individual, 


the Bahdis anticipate that national and economic 
affairs will be so regulated that comparatively little 


misery will exist in the world. There will not be the 


extremes of wealth and poverty which now exist. 
Through the stable: financial conditions which co- 
operation between capital and labor will bring about 


-— cooperation for the best good of all concerned — 


the laborer will be assured of a livlihood and will be 
enabled to get the best out of life; and, on the other 
hand, the capitalist will be less on the defensive and 
less burdened than he is now. Because of the cooper- 


ation of all classes the wealthy will occupy them- 


selves more with matters pertaining to the general 
welfare of the people, rather than seeking mainly 


_ their own individual enjoyment. 


As people come into the spirit of the Bahai teach- 
ings, see the virtue of cooperation and act upon this 


_ principle, the economic problems which now threaten — 


the world with dire calamities will disappear and give 
place to institutions for the highest good of mankind, 
and then all people will live in harmony, in happiness, 
and in plenty. The Baha'is believe that eventually 
the whole world will recognize the power of the spi- 


ritual principle of cooperation, and will apply it in 





136. 


matters of everday life, thus solving life’s mighty fy 





economic problem in all of its details; but this heav-— 


enly condition upon earth can only be brought about 
by the divine power of the religion of God living in 
the heart of mankind. 


During many centuries the peoples of the Bast and 


those of the West have been separated by barriers, 


racial, religious, geographic and political. So complete | 
has been this segregation that these two halves of — 


humanity developed along different lines of thought, 


manners and customs, until the very natures and char- — 


acteristics of these nepbles have become, in Seis 
distinct and foreign to each other. 
Now, in these latter days, through the breaking 


down’ of the former material ‘barriers, the oriental — 


and occidental peoples are being forced one upon the 
other. Through international relations, the increase of 
foreign commerce, travel and mingling of people, the 
Orientals and Occidentals are daily coming into closer 
relations upon the material plane of life. As yet, 
however, this is but a superficial mingling, void of 
any basic unity or common consciousness. That which 


will bring the Orient and Occident together is the spi- — 


ritual confidence, trust, and mutual affinity and broth- 
erly love which the Baha’ faith is creating between - 


the East and the West. Through the establishment 
ot such practical institutions of service as will demon- — 
strate this spiritual unity, the greatest material and spi- — 


ritual benefit to all humanity will result; for, spring- ; 


ing from this spiritual foundation will be all of those 
religious, political, and social activities for which the 





iit ee al eka a eit) Pea DOU AE Tht aoe MU Rl RSH ts IRE ale Se Ot 
Me) Ny AN ) Nyon ity PAE RosaNN 1! LE ibs RUE Or aR AASB OT Bi Wo YUE SR Rel A heta atau My F 
PVP NOT ACTIYS Ye SPU igeamle CPI AIRYT NSU Mi UTES SE ART AS AE ee IVORY FR ote Sy hea iene Mc “Rie sy j ~ 

if Aad rhe Ny ey ony by $4i, Tare HVAC nh Oe Mey hid gy any 





137 


‘Bahi’i Cause stands, and which will eventually unite 
in one civilization all the peoples of the world. 

The Bahai Cause stands for spiritual unity mani- 
fested in every sphere and activity of life. The Bab, 
Bahaé’u'll4h, and ’Abdt’l-Bahaé stood preeminent as lov- 
ers and servants of humanity. Their mission was 
that of spiritually uniting and giving life to humanity, 

therefore their teachings influence every phase and 
detail of life. With the fruition of their Cause which is 
already planted and growing in the heart of the world, 
the great Orient-Occident problem will be solved. 

- Jn this day the human race is reaching the stage of 
maturity; the Orient along its own characteristic lines, 
and the Occident along its own characteristic lines. 
Now their future development depends upon their union, 
both spiritual and physical. Through this Baha’ spi- 
ritual unity encompassing all peoples, oriental and 
occidental characteristics will so blend that a new 
world-type of man will be evolved; one which will 
embody not only the present existing virtues of the 
Hast and West, but most of all, the higest spiritual 

_ possibilities of humanity, which can come to light only ~ 
as people unite and live according to divine law ap- 

plied to every phase of life. 

Such a union between the Hast and West can never 
be accomplished upon any foundation other than a 

spiritual one. When the Occident and the Orient 
meet on a common spiritual ground, than an intel- 

_lectual and social unity in all of its forms, with all of 

its institutions, will result. Many oriental countries 

_have been held by occidental nations through physical 





138 





force. This has not been conducive in any way to ‘ 
the solution of this world problem. Under a regime 
of force, both peoples, the dominant and the domi-— 


nated, suffer from lack of unity. Hach remains within 


itself, its life forces and possibilities undeveloped, pent 
up, and suffering for lack of the expression which — 


only the freedom of harmony can give. 


In the coming epoch of religious, racial and national — 
unity, for which the Bahai Cause is paving the way, — 
there will be no question of supremacy one over an-— 
other. All peoples will be members of one harmonius | 
world-family, each working to protect and help the ~ 


others. Under this order, which is the order of God’s 


Kingdom, the highest civic and national institutions — 
will be evolved and the masses of the people will at- 


tain to a high state of spiritual, moral and pysical — 


_ 


development. ‘Thus humanity will reach a state of — 
civilization and advancement, the greatness of which 


no one can now form any conception. 
Going back before the dawn of history one finds the 


family to be the earliest social unit. Later on many 
families are found uniting under a patriarch, forming — 
a clan or tribe. Still later are found federations ots “4 


clans or tribes from which nations have come into _ 
existence. Now the next step is the absorbing of all 
national and racial consciousness into one great world — 
consciousness. This is the order of the progress of 
mankind, and the great divine plan for the peace of 
the world: and in the fruit of the teachings of Baha’u’ 


llah is seen the beginning of this great end. Giviliza- 


tion is the product of religion. Hach of the Were 





139 


civilizations had its birth in a religious movement. 


Civilization has always been the fruit of the spiritual 
awakening of a people or peoples. In this day geo- 
graphic, political and social barriers have, through 


travel and communication, been obliterated, until now 


man is limited only by the confines of this planet. 


_ We are on the threshold of a universal epoch, That 


which affects one people politically, socially or finan- 
cially, aftects the whole world, and the great universal 


civilization so rapidly advancing is casting its signs 


before. In the Baha’i teachings is the spiritual power 


to unite souls. It is forming a spiritual nucleus from 
‘which will spring the universal civilization to be, the 
magnitude of which we can now form no conception. 


Today a new order of things has begun upon the 


earth. Mankind is attaining spiritual maturity and is 


demanding more spiritual food than the old forms and 
dogmas ot religious superstitions can give him. Through 
spiritual enlightenment, ignorance is being dispelled, 
causing a change of soul, a change in man’s nature, 
and this change is being felt the world around. The 


- mission and object of the Bahd’i Cause is the uniting 


of men of all nations, religions and races in the love 


of God and the brotherhood of man. Its teaching is 
constructive. It fulfills the highest hopes of the reli- 


gions of the past, and is uniting all men in the great 
universal religion of the future. 


Ne Aa GM Nd US LY ah ice Fi I ao ca ET i tat OM LAR ok ook MT aera cae ener AL AU Ua KE hd dh) 
\: Pid iy iiyoa tabs RO ee er eat, I NMG bey rAD  eyvel al ¥ a a WA) rare ante rPiveg iY 1 MS LY Aretha 
SL ee ne RG Sad at ifs Oh 





XI, 


SOME ELEMENTS 


of 
The Baha'i Philosophy 








SOME ELEMENTS 


OF THE BAHA’! PHILOSOPHY. 


The Baha’is teach the existence af five kingdoms; 
1. The mineral kingdom, or material plane. 

2. The vegetable kingdom in which there is’ the 

lowest apparent manifestation of spirit or life. This 


plane is characterized by the principle of growth and 
fruition, by virtue of which physical organisms develop 


and propagate their kind. 
3. The animal kingdom, the organisms of which 
are differentiated from those of the vegetable plane 


by the power of the five senses, 


4, The human kingdom, that of man, which is 
differentiated from the animal kingdom by the intel- 
lectual faculty, by virtue of which man comprehends 


ideas in the abstract. 


5. The divine kingdom, or condition of spiritual 


illumination, which is differentiated from the human, 


or natural, or spiritually veiled state of the soul, 


by consciousness of God. By virtue of this higher life: 


_ the quickened soul apprehends spiritual realities, lives 


in spiritual communion with the divine, and is ue the 


Kingdom of God. Unlike the vaeetable) animal and 


human kingdoms which are dependent for development 


upon earthly conditions, the spiritual life of the soul 





is dependent upon the life giving force of the divine 








eae 


realm. This realm is eternal; therefore the life of 
divinely quickened souls is eternal, The spiritual 
condition in which those souls live is not confined 
to an earthly realm. | 

Beyond and above all created things is the Holy 
Spirit of God, uncreated and infinite, unknowable to 
man save through His Manifestation: the mediator 
between God and His children here upon earth. Di-— 
vinely quickened man is the highest of the creatures. 
From his beginning man was created man, a distinct 
species. In the early days of man upon earth, he re- 
sembled the animal in many respects more than he 
resembled the man-type of today. But from his first 
appearance there was in him that human spirit which, 
though at first hidden and not recognizable, has evolved 
into the type of man that we now know. In the. 
coming age of divine evolution humanity will continue 
evolving to a far higher state of development than it 
has yet attained. Man will always be man, however. 
He will approach nearer and nearer to the perfect 
type of spiritual manhood. 

According to the Baha’i philosophy there is no scien-— 
tific inharmony or conflict between these two realms 
of the so called natural and the spiritual, for there is. 
perfect accord throughout the whole of creation, Na- 
tural science teaches man how to live properly upon 
this human plane. Through observing its laws and 
living in accord with them, man attains to a high : 
state of material, physical and intellectual development, 
On the other Hat Christ and the prophets have re- : 
vealed to humanity the laws which govern the spirit- 


eT eet ye Fe TN aS OE AIM gS PF LN UR Aion ie LOU Sei Ce tay (aL MRRere AN i TA at eS Mat oe Bia 
Tres dette dt ih ren ay iy, pa % OW a ew 7 aes y f 
Mat af eth kd fi yi t a ee ’ a ‘ 
‘di ba? =H “ uta) 


ual kingdom. As people live in accord with these 
divine laws their souls evolve spiritually and attain 
to a high state of general development; for with 
the spiritual development follows an evolution in the 
natural or material development of man. When man 
understands the realities of both the natural and di- 
vine realms, he will find no conflict between religion 
~ and science. 

As one travels in various lands, talks with the people 
and studies their spiritual conditions, he finds that during 
the past sixty or seventy years the spirit of universal 

- or non-sectarian thought, in one form or another, has 
entered into the fold of practically every religion, with a 
tendancy to break down ancient superstitions and as a 
leaven prepare the people for a broad universal con- 
ception of God’s truth: a conception unfettered by the 
mental limitations of past ages. Although called by 
some « Modern Thought », it is in reality the most 
ancient of thought, for it is caused by this latter-day 
renewal of the spirit which the religions originally 

_ possessed, now so universally felt in all parts of the 
‘world and which during so many centuries was lost 
to humanity. , 

This general and widespread spirit of modern thought 
has been as a plough which has prepared the religious 
ground of the world to receive the spiritual seeds of 
universal religious ideals. Modernism has uprooted 
ancient creed, dogma, and much superstition; and along 
with this uprooting the faith of many has been shaken, 

and much spiritual seeking has resulted. The inspired 
founders of the Baha'i Teachings have sowed seeds of 


10 





146 


a live faith in the soul of humanity, They have de- — 
monstrated to the world that faith, religion and spirit- 
uality, and that true and real Sirdtnal principles have 
nothing in common with the superstitions and imagi- 
nations of the past. The modernists of all religions | 
are teaching many of the same principles as held by 
the followers of the Baha’i Cause. They realize that 
humanity as a whole is now passing through a period 
of spiritual rebirth, and that this is the beginning of 
a new age of spiritual wisdom. In the great spiritual — 
organism of the universe, the various parts and mem-_ 
bers are organically united and linked together as are © 
the organs of the body. As there have been great 
changes and upheavals in the evolution of the mate- 
rial world, due to material causes, so there have been 
great phases of change and development in the evo- 
lution of the spiritual world, due to the action of spir- 
itual forces and causes. . 
The universal present day awakening, as seen in all 

of the many branches of modern thought, is the direct 
result of changes taking place in the spiritual realm — 

of existence. This awakening is being mystically 

produced by a spiritual cause — the coming of another — 
revelation of divine truth to man. In the early — 
morning when the sun is yet below the horizon, 
the heavens are illumined by its rays and the coming — 
of day is evident to all. As the sun slowly rises, 
those upon the high places see it first; later those in — 
the valleys see it also; and when it is at its zenith, 
the whole country is receiving its rays and fas in 
its warmth, 





147 
So it is when the Sun of Truth manifests here upon 
the earth for the guidance of the people. The Mani- 
festation or revelator is preceded by the signs of spir- 
itual awakening which show the people that a new 


spiritual day or era is at hand. ‘Those illumined souls 
of high spiritual discernment first recognize in the re- 


_vealor or prophet the source of the light of God; later, 


the people in general awaken to his spiritual power 


and wisdom; and finally, through his teachings, both 


material and spiritual bounties are forthcoming to the 


world. 


- This wave of modernism which has swept over the 
world of religion, breaking the night of spiritual igno- 
rance and superstition, is the first dawn of the great 


day of God upon earth. Already many illumined 


74? 


souls are seeing in the inspired revealers of the Bahdé’i 
Religion the light of the world and its point of diffu- 
sion. Later on the whole world will realize that which 
now only the few see. Then all humanity will be the 
eonscious recipients in full of the much anticipated 
bounties of the Kingdom of God upon earth, for 
as humanity knows and recognizes the source or the 


center of divine bounty the people will turn to that 


center, and through attachment to that center will 


receive in the fullest measure of the divine blessings 


that are being diffused in the world through the 


Baha’i Revelation. 


Often Bahd’is are asked whether or not the perfor- 


: ming of miracles forms a part of their teaching. In > 


reply they state that their belief is that the prophets 


a 


_ were endowed with spiritual powers which enabled them 


+. 


Ta 

aim is 

ae 
» : ‘ 
Y 
ya 


Wheel) Pe AAS SOT RR TATA MED Se AP stall Ae cL SAN arth an dal oe Why ae ee By ey eR ey ee 
; ny Vi sie at Mis J Rast ge CSRS Wi er sei cane ee ee F Ae Oa ee eet 
iy ys Sati 8 Gn se ; At saree cats, Lines Sara at) is 


ye ee ed Sag Wu 
\ v ¥ - 


148 





to accomplish that which is impossible to ordinary — 


man. The unusual things which they did were for 
the instruction, education and spiritual quickening of — 
those about them. The miracles ascribed to them have 


been a great test of faith to the peoples of after gen- 
erations, for miracles are not a proof of divinity. 


The great and wonderful miracle performed by the 


prophets and Manifestations of the past and present, 


is their power to implant in the souls of man the love — 


of God, to quicken humanity with divine life, and — 


with all the earthly forces against them to accomplish — 


their divine work. ‘his is a real, a spiritual miracle. — 
In the writer’s travels in foreign lands he found © 


that many wonderful things are recorded by the Baha’is, 
particularly those in the oriental countries, illustrative 
of the spiritual powers of the founders of their reli- 
gion; but these form no part of the teaching, nor 


are they ever mentioned as proofs of divine ispiration ; _ 


for if these phenomena were so presented they would 


prove a stumbling block rather than an attraction to — 


truth seekers. 


The spiritual insight, wisdom, He understanding oh 
the Bab, Baha’w'll4h, and ’Abdw’l-Baha, which was God ee 


given and accepted by many of the peoples in their 


days as proof of a superhuman power, was intended ~ 


for the people of these days only as the means for 


the quickening of their souls with a new touch of © 


the divine life of the Kingdom. However, these incidents : 


are now tradition, and not being recorded in the TEx") 
vealed word, are now legends and not a real part of — 


this teaching. 





VEE. Ay mary TBS te ee Ua Le TUE) NT Sti Td RA ae PR MS be isan Tr as anaes i ihe Rt of Moet i ae “a Me a | Fy en AL | 

eee Weer aoe tea Ou MTR ERE ge Pe AY QM METI CNLME WATT TOS MM AUEANHELD APA A eg SRO DP yd 
) RAL fi . Ap at 1 Pu 
' F. x ,* ’ A , \ 


149 


Baha’is hold that a material phenomenon seemingly 
outside the domain of natural law would not prove 
to thinking people that the doer was divine. In these 
present days of physical and psychical experiment and | 


research no one would ascribe divine power to the 


psychologist who astonished the people with demon- 
strations claiming to be ofa miraculous nature. Were 


miracles a fundamental part of this religious teaching, 


in time to come they would become a stumbling block 


_ to truth seekers even as the same has proven true in 
some of the religious teachings of the past and present; 
therefore this phase of the supernatural is not men- 


tioned. 


The reason that science and theology have conflicted 


in the past, each with the other, is because many an- 


cient theological teachings have contained so many 
imaginations and superstitions as to make them impos- 
sible of acceptance to science. To be sure, these super- 
Stitions did not exist in the purity of the teachings 


as given by Christ or the prophets themselves. Super- 
stitions are the impediments which religion has 
_ gathered as it has been handed down through the ages, 


‘Science to day finds only this dross in contradiction to 


her knowledge; but the purely spiritual teachings, 
though they deal with a higher realm than that of 


the material plane, are in perfect accord with natural 


- geience, 


at 
pe 


4 


4 


One finds the Baha'i. teachings to be logical and 
reasonable. They are free from the superstitions of 


" the past and compatible with modern science. Those 


2 


i 





who have been privileged to pore and mingle with 





150 


the Baha’is in many countries of the earth, find in | 


the lives of those who follow this teaching a spiritual 


force which is its very life and essence. This transcends — 


mere intellect, logic and reason, although itis in perfect 
accord and harmony with them. It shows scientific 
people that true religion not only is not opposed to 
science but that it is itself scientific, and that man 
needs more than mere intellectual food; he needs 
spiritual knowledge. Not until man adds the spiritual 


to the intellectual has he that perfect balance by virtue — 
of which he attains to highest development. Through — 
the spirit of this Movement people of the old established — 
religions realize that they have nothing to fear from — 


the world of modern scientific thought. Under this 


influence the old supestitions are dropping away, and bs 


the pure, untarnished truth is standing supreme. 
The realization that there is no conflict between the 


material and divine realm, that material truth and 
divine truth are in perfect accord, frees man from 
superstition and fear and gives him faith and assurance. ~ 
This opens the door to the highest spiritual possibilities 


and development not only to the individual, but in the 
united consciousness of the mass of humanity. 


The Baha'i Cause teaches severance. In his heart — 





man must be severed from the world and its passions. — 


His dependence must be upon God, though outwardly — 
he must live in the world, there fulfilling his material — 
mission in life. In the Bahd’i life severance indicates — 
the rebirth of the Christian, the spirit of obedience 
of the Jew, the submission of the Musl’im, the purifi- — 


cation of the Zoroastrian, the sacrifice of the Hindu, 


Tin Wait ee re ie) Nels) Meee Th ome Al ee eRe tS AES BRL Me er ee 
pow de eae oe ie A Sanh ae ON ie thy 
* Me io % oe | i ‘ 
ened ays ; Whos 
ee. : . 4 


151 
the renunciation of the Buddhist, and the « living in 
harmony with the Divine » of the modern thinker. 
In the Baha’i Oause is summed up all of the spiritual 


essence of the religions of the past, which is now 
given in a form most applicable to the present day 


needs of man, and adequate to cope with the modern 


universal. problems. 

The people of each religion expect the return of the 
spirit of revelation which shone through their prophet 
in the past, and they look forward to the universal 
establishment of their own religion. The Word of God 
speaking through all the prophets gave the same 
message of the coming of the Lord and the establish- 
ment of the Kingdom upon earth. 

With each religion as:‘time passed, and the spirit 
of the teachings was veiled, the people ceased to 
regard their prophet as a human being, the medium 
through whom the Spirit of God manifests. They 


began to deify the human personality of the prophet, 


and instead of expecting the return of the same 


Spirit manifesting itself through another personality, 


they began to look for the return in person of their 
guide or prophet. Thus the Christians believed in — 


the corporeal descent of Jesus from the heavens, 


inter-stellar space, instead of the appearance of the 
divine power in Jesus that he promised would again 
manifest upon earth at the end of his dispensation, 
In the same way the Jews look for the personal 
return of Elijah « before the coming of the great and 
dreadful day of the Lord, » and the Muslims look for 


_ the personal and corporeal return of the Imam Mihd’, 


aes 


he prophecies and the reality of their “hopes for the : 
‘ une regeneration of the whole of | divided humani 


progressive ideals conducive to the peace of sas wo 
The Baha’i teachings build upon the many co | 

of the past, confirming the people in the truths of th 

- past, and they offer to the world the only grounc 
upon which peoples of all races, religions, ae 
and classes can unite, the meeting ground « 
universal Kingdom of God. a 





XIT, 


THE SPIRIT OF THE BAHA’I CAUSE 


Its growth and development 
in the Orient and in the Occident 





THE SPIRIT OF THE CAUSE. 


In these latter days when « prophets » and « new 
religions » “are so abundant, one naturally wonders 


_ how to distinguish truth from error, and how to recog- | 


nize the Lord’s anointed One from among many men. 


_« By their fruits ye shall know them » is the test by 


which the true One is recognized, The history of this 
Cause shows that the Baha’i revelators overcame all 
worldly troubles, trials and persecutions through the 
power of their divine love; thus have they demon- 


| strated their truth to the world. 


They demonstrated that in order to combat evil the 
heart should be filled with love and truth. Fear, togeth- 
er with all its attending destructive forces, disap- 
pears in the presence of faith and assurance. ‘The 
Baha'i teaching is one of joy and gladness. True spir- 
ituality is profound, not depressing but uplifting. 


Truth and love are in the world to lift people from 


suffering and depression, and should therefore be pre- 


La 24 


sented as they are, full of joy. The Baha’is are taught © 


at all times to manifest in their thoughts, words, and 
actions, the joy of the Lord. It is only by showing 
forth a joyful and happy spirit, and by a loving ser- 
vice to humanity, that suffering and seeking souls are 


attracted and brought under the power of the quick- 


ening spirit of the Cause. Through kind and loving 


service to all humanity, to friend and foe alike, the 


_ Baha'is have a most powerful weapon with which to 





MQ uaoraa’, 2am ess WPS d\n Dh ald 
ay nit ote Pi asin Y ‘phe ap eae 
PERE MPU NS vs 
; EAR el TENS is Ibe ie 
TN eA es 
hay tina Rhy 3 Me She 
156 PME a noc JUTE 


combat religious prejudice and spiritual ignorance. — 
Even the most difficult people are won through con- ~ 
tinued kindness. Once attracted, the hungry soulrec- ~ 
ognizes and accepts the truth. The Baha'i teachers 
find that when a soul is reached by their teachings, 
whether a Christian, Musl’im, Jew or Buddhist, the 
truth at once appeals to his inner nature, and he will | 
usually say, « This is exactly what I have always be- 
lieved ». Thus do they prove that the language of 
kindness and of the spirit of God’s Kingdom is uni- 
versal in its appeal. The Baha’i faith is a world-wide _ 
movement, the spirit of which is working unhindered _ 
and unbound by confines and barriers of sect and 
«ism». The Baha'is see and recognize truth and spi- 
ritual beauty wherever found, and through this atti- 
tude of love for all they find at every hand, among ~ 
the people of other religious bodies, the opportunity — 
to share the spirit of their faith. 

To him who has traveled and lived among the 
Baha’is the world around, and has seen the effect of — 
this Cause upon the lives of peoples of every race and ~ 
religion, there can be no doubt as to the divine source 
of its teachings, for in the fruits there is manifest its — 
truth, Among the Baha’is there is a practical de- — 
monstration of a combined religious and secular unity. 
Good works are not done under the name of <charity>» — 
or < philanthropy ». Rather it is « reciprocation » and na 
«interdependence », Each gives what he has to give, — 
and through the spirit of giving and doing in loving Me 
service one’s own nature unfolds and he himself re- a 
ceives abundantly. 


vp eae 
“Se oes 


157 
It has been the writer’s privilege to travel and as- 
sociate with the Bahda’is in many foreign countries, and 


’ he can testify to the spiritual qualities manifested in 


the lives of these people. Often he has been in a po- 
sition where he has been obliged to place himself en- 
tirely in the hands of strange men, whose language 
he could not speak, the only thing which they had 


jn common being their faith. The connecting link 


was their faith, yet this was everything, because that 


faith was large enough to encompass all creatures. 


Some western travelers whom he has met in the 
oriental countries were surprised that he trusted him- 


self in out-of-the-way places and along unfrequented 


routes of travel, with oriental people as his sole 
companions and friends. When one is surrounded by 
friends, his personal welfare is.seldom a subject of 
worry. The writer can truthfully state that never 
has he felt more at ease and free from care than when 


497 


he has been with oriental Baha’is. Wherever he has 


been with them, he has always had a warmth of hos- 


_ pitality and kindness lavished upon him. This was 
not because of any other reason than that he was of 


their faith, : 
Between the Baha’is of the East and those of the 


West there exists the strongest tie. Since it was 


through the suffering, pain, and trials of the Baha’is of 
the Orient that this faith had its first impulse and 
was brought to the West, the western Baha’is have 


in their souls a strong love and gratitude for the 


eastern Bahd’is and a burning desire to go to them, 


158 
and to share with them all the practical things of | 
the western civilization. : ) , 

Upon the other hand, in the growth ot the Bahai 
Cause in the western world the oriental Baha'is 
see the result of their labors, for the believers here 
are their spiritual offspring. In us do they see the 
fruit of their bloody persecution and great sufferings, 
and with open and joyful hearts they are anxious to — 
receive into their very lives their western brothers and _ 
sisters, learn from them and in turn pour out upon ~ 
them all of that wealth of devotion, love, and spirit- 
ual assurance which the people of the Hast have, and 
which the people of the West need. ' 

Particularly in the Orient the contrast between the 
Baha’is and other people in very striking. There the 
average Orientals and, Occidentals meet without min- 
gling, each remaining foreign to the other; but the 
opposite is true with these very same people when 
they are touched by the Baha’i’ spirit, for then we see 
them associating with one another as members of one 
family, having the same interests and desires, and unit- 
ed in the same works. 

Among the oriental Bahd’is there is a love and a 
devotion to this Oause and its principles impossible 
to describe. It is beyond comprehension yet one re-— 
cognizes it, ae 

In many countries and among people of different — 
races and religions in whose hearts the Baha'i teachings 
had penetrated the writer found such a warm welcome 
and had such friendship and devotion showered upon 


Ai 


Pe ie Were 
is 


ye VAL & pba at ae a 


159 


him, that he realized the blending process at work, which 


is now uniting the East and the West. This is a force 


working independently of material conditions and 


surroundings, it reaches alike the half-naked jungleman 


living in his hut, and the cultured man of wealth 
dwelling in his palace. This spiritual love, which is 
of God, is the strongest power in creation. In its 


f uniting force is the foundation of accord and harmony 


upon which the Orient and the Occident are meeting. 


From this Cause will appear, as fruits, all of those 
social institutions between the Hast and the West 
which will materially demonstrate the truths which 
the Baha’is now witness as spiritual realities. 


The Baha'i teaching encourages marriage, while 
asceticism and celibacy are discouraged. Monogamy 


is taught, and among the believers in the Orient is 


gradually replacing the systems of polygamy, which, 
from time immemorial, have existed in those countries, 
The human body should be developed, not mortified, 
because it is the medium through which the spirit 
works. A good and perfect body is desirable as a 


-Ineans for serving God. 


- Baha’wllah strongly denounced the taking of opium 


and kindred drugs. The Bahd’is do not use intoxi- 


cating liquors as beverages, and among them even the 
use of tobacco is discouraged. Gambling is forbidden | 
as having a demoralizing effect upon the people. In 
fact, all excesses tending to weaken the body and the 


_ moral force of man should be eschewed by him. 


Individual advancement and personal incentive are 


to be fostered and encouraged, but the general weal 





- } pint Aga t tee At 4 & 
ve nae ‘Mh ny ah 
Nits : 7 ED Tae 
160 | Beth as 
- % ae 4 % 
- ‘ ( : 


of the mass is even more to be considered. The weak — 
and unfortunate ones are to be protected from the 
greedy ones. Profit in business is to be sought, but one 
person has no right to enrich himself at the expense 
of others. When the ordinances of Bahé’u’ll4h are 
established, there will be fewer extremes of wealth and 
poverty. All the people will be more tranquil and — 
secure than they are at present. The Baha Cause is 
prepared to meet and to reform the many human — 
ills that the humanitarians and workers of the day — 
are striving to eradicate. This is being accomplished © 
through the spiritualizing method of changing the na- 
tural hardness of man’s heart by infusing into it the 
love of God. 

As people know and sna the wisdom of 
the precepts of Baha’u’llah, they will from volition and © 
for their own welfare and ‘chat of those about them 
desire to live according to his advice, Perfect liberty 
and freedom in religious thought and belief is allowed © 
everyone. The Bahda’is are exhorted to mingle freely 
with people of all creeds, and in no way to shut ~ 
themselves off from those of other beliefs. Neither 
should they criticise nor denounce the teachings nor 
the followers of other religious movements, Through © 
fraternal intercourse, kindness and loving service to all i 
humanity, the believers in this latter-day revelation — 
will eventually demonstrate its truth to all the world. — 

Often people inquire whether affiliation with the ~ 
Baha'i Cause necessitates the giving up of church ~ 
membership. The advice is always that no human or — 
religious relation should be severed, but that these 


EP VEE eRe Cea mR LAAN Sei Tut Me Ise eth Ns C 
, RRA ‘ yee LAr or ae Singh ‘ » 
Pen) ati dene we ay Hi i Piet fae AY 

Ne! wih) REO YT eh tt 

le. f 


161 


relations should become as avenues for the giving forth 
of the new message, and the spirit of the Baha’is hav- 
ing church relations should coutinue to mingle with 
church people. However, they do not remain silent 
about the new light which has come to them. When 

they meet people who are seeking and hungry for 
_ the teachings they give to each to the limit of his 
or her capacity. Where people are satisfied with their 
Own religious opinions, they give them what they can 
without arousing their antagonism, allowing the seeds 
of the message to enter as leaven into their thought, 


_ with the assurance that in time spiritual fruits will 
be forthcoming. 


While the Bahd@’is are taught not to interfere with 
the religion of others, all people are exhorted and 
advised to relinquish those creeds and customs which 
separate them into many divisions, in order that all 
may come into the one great spiritual unity of the 
Kingdom, All things find their strength in unity. The 
life of any being or organization of beings is dependent 
upon this principle. Therefore, how important is 
unity; and of the various degrees or ‘kinds of unity 
_ how all-important is spiritual and religious unity, for 
it is the foundation of all real unity and of the pro- 
_ gress of the world. 

In carrying on the Baha'i work the world around, 
it has been found when two or more come together 
to diseuss religious matters with perfect love in their 
hearts, the result is always uplifting and edifying. 
When people meet together for religious discussion 
without this spirit of true charity in their hearts, 


11 





Pei lacareeig eer | tr ra Eh Mo Ls I AE Seah eh peti at aay PS YRS RE ANE Re ARAL et Sri ON SUS SN TNT a aot ee aR 
Sa : SM ah OPRAH SE Ce a GT b 


ay ns 
eas 


ah 
Hane 


162 





the result is always disturbing and distressing, and 
it would have been better had they not met. This 


7 4f 


principle of the power of love the Baha’is know and 


they rely upon it and not upon pega 3 prescane | 


from the plane of intellect alone. 


The most potent of all factors in moving nuinenlen | 
is love; it is at the same time the most elusive and the ~ 
most difficult of all things to define. We know it— 
only through its characteristics, and these we never 
fail to recognize, So it is with true religion. There-_ 
in is a spiritual force working which is divine love. 
This is its very life force. When one feels his soul — 
responding to this, he realizes that he has come into- 
contact with a higher realm, and though he cannot 


describe this awakening in so many words, it is none 


the less the most real of all things, 


In the Baha’i Cause woman hold a position equal to 
that of man. She is not denied any rights. Through 
the Baha'i teachings woman in the oriental countries 
is even now reaping the benefits of education, and 
advancing in many ways which the customs of former 
religions closed to her, It is hardly necessary here to — 


wt 


mention those Baha 


laws and ordinances which touch ia 


upon hygiene and education of both sexes, and the 
admonitions forbidding mendicity, slavery, cruelty to 
animals and other offenses, because our western civili- 
zation has already accomplished these reforms tte 


in the Orient the need for them is yet very great. 


The Bahé’i teaching stands for the higher edueauen : 
of woman. In some instructions sent to the Orient, 
"Abdw'l-Baha exhorted the Baha'is to give their daugh- — 


a 





163 


ters every possible educational advantage, telling them 
it was even more necessary that their girls should 
be educated than their boys, because women are 
the mothers and the natural teachers of men, and it 
is of the greatest importance to the race that they be 
highly educated. Already several American Baha'i 
women physicians are working in Persia. Their influ- 
_ ence is of the greatest importance among the women, 
_ because they are able to penetrate into the seclusion of 
_ the family life of the people in ways not open to men. 
Other American Baha’is have gone to Persia as teach- 
ers, and are associated there with the educational 
- work of the Cause. Some time ago a girl’s school 
was opened by the Baha‘is in Tihran, and from the 
last accounts there were more applicants than could 
be accommodated. Educational work is being carried 
on in all of the oriental countries where there are 
congregations of believers. Hach year also brings 
_ Bahai students to Europe and America, who after 
completing their studies return to their own coun- 
tries as teachers. Through liberal education and the 
diffusion of knowledge and wisdom, both spiritual and 
material, the superstitions and limitations of the past 
_ will cease to exist, all people will be in sympathy 
with humanity as a whole, and each individual will 
consider himself a citizen of the world rather than 
confine all of his interests and sympathies exclusively 
- to one country and one people. 
'f In Persia the writer found the Baha’is struggling 
_ against great opposition, upon the part of those sur- 
- rounding them, in their work of uplifting and educa- 





A ORE SS a tae ia 
ay is % h/ bbe 7 


eon | | Me Se am 


ting woman, and he met Baha’i women who are doing 
great work for their own sex. Until comparatively 


recent this work, for the most part, has been very — 


quietly done, — in fact, almost in secret, — on account 
of the persecutions by the Musl’ims. The Bahda’is are 
undermining those traditions regarding the seclusion 
and oppression of women and now the Bahda’i women 
in the Orient are progressing rapidly. ips 
The Persian Bahd’is are a most staunch and coura- 
geous people. While the massacres and martyrdoms 


of great numbers of Bah@’is in that land are probably © 


now a thing of the past, nevertheless, they are still 


under persecution which even in these days often leads — 


to loss of life. Many men whom the writer met had 
been eye witnesses of the massacres of the 60’s in which 
so many of these people died for their faith, while 
others with whom he talked had lost family, friends 
and property. One impression which the writer recalls 
very vividly, was the calm way, free from any 
trace of rancor, in which the Persian Baha'is referred 
to the losses and afflictions visited upon them by the 


enemies of the Cause. Instead of causing embitter- } 


ment, these troubles have had a most spiritualizing — 


effect upon the believers: the ‘persecution has been 


as a fire which has taken everything from them save — 


the love of God, with which their hearts are ablaze, 


After a visit among these people, one feels spirit- ie 


ually better and stronger than before, absorbing a — 


force from them which gives spiritual courage in mo- 


ments of weakness, and guidance in moments of — 


strength. This is the spirit which abides with those 


4 
ul 





165 


who are in reality severed from all save God. It is 
this spirit which is manifest in the life and teaching 
of the revelators of this Cause, and in the lives of 
those who in spirit follow the principles for which 
they stand. 





CONCEUSION 


0000 


TESTIMONIAL OF A TRAVELER. 


Visits made to ’Abdi’l-Baha. Development of the prin- 
ciples of the Baha’i Cause, the method of teaching, 
and its growth in the Orient. 


We, 


bat af 
DE AP wt 
Ait lah 


va 





STEED Ao Pcl eG Tht Oe AOR a eaten. ar UN KANE MT ee aN MC Oa Ba AG AU 
97 IM eal a henson dae ey 
1 AN “hy Ne ine faa a ayy 2 ~ og ity e 





TESTIMONIAL. 


In the preceding articles of this series I have at- 
tempted to give a general resume of the history and ~ 
teaching of the Baha'i Cause, and the work now being 
accomplished by its teachers in various parts of the 
world. In conclusion I desire to relate a few of: my 


- Own experiences in connection with this Cause. Dur- 


ing the past twenty-five years it was my privilege to 
be in intimate contact with the workings of the Move- 


a ment, having been permitted to visit "Abdu’l-Baha 


several times, and to travel extensively among the 
Baha'is in foreign lands. It is with the desire of shar- 
ing the inspiration received from ’Abdt’l-Baha and 
from his followers that I am presuming to record 
these personal observations. 

My first visit to ’AbdwWl-Bah& was in the winter 


of 1901. At that time the Cause in the West was in 
its infancy. But few of the words of Baha’wllah and 


*Abdu’l-Baha had been translated, and the then few 
believers, though fired with faith and a great desire to 
disseminate the teachings, had as yet learned but little 


of the teachings and spiritual principles of the Cause, 
with which philosophy many are now familiar. 


At that time ’Abduw’l-Baha was in comparative free- 
dom. Having been allowed to leave the prison city of 
_Akka with its unhealthy climate, he was spending the 
winter in the neighboring town of Haifa. Notwith- 
standing this betterment in the conditions of his daily 








SEER ERRNO a) DR VEC AUP aR 
f we 4 I A 


Va Raten’ . k { . f ' sy ‘ ) ; Vs i 4 s a 
170 | Ah oe | | PELE oily 


life, one felt the weight which was upon his soul, and 


BA 
Dsaeh tte a LOR Yaa DS oe Wai Ty | 
4 ¢? bts, eS i ees * Fi rite eine (eyo 
- m \' L : Sah 






one saw how taxed he was in his many endeavors and ~ 
continued efforts in teaching and training the people 
in the path of Bahd’u'll4h. Receiving people by day 
and carrying on a large correspondence which necessi- — 


tated his laboring far into the night, one marveled at 


his powers of physical and mental endurance; but as 


one obtained glimpses of and received the spiritual fra- 


grance from the great soul of ’Abdw’l-Baha, one had ~ 
moments of realization that his strength was not from 
the human man, but flowed through him as through a 
channel, coming from the invisible power of Bah@wllah 
which he always testified was the source of his inspi- 


ration. 
For over a year before I first met *Abdt’l-Baha, 


I had been a believer in the Bahai Cause, so when — 


I went to him it was not to have my faith established, 


but rather to have a spiritual confirmation and to — 


gain more knowledge. From the moment I met him 
I realized that he knew my innermost soul, thus a 


spiritual bond was established which has never ceased 


to be a source of joy, delight and help to me. Suc- — 


cessive visits with him, and each tablet (letter) and 
message received from him, strengthened this under- — 
standing and demonstrated to me again and again 
’Abdt’l-Baha’s all penetrating spiritual insight and wis- 
dom. Notwithstanding the distance and circumstances — 
which separated ’Abdt’l-Bahd from his friends, when 
they received his tablets they found advices and admo- — 
nitions peculiarly applicable to them in their needs of — 


ot ae — 


that moment; and even now that he has departed ty i 








171 


from this world one finds this spiritual nearness or 
connection to be ever very real and powerful: one 
attaining to it in proportion as he arises to serve in 


the path of ’Abdw’l-Baha, according to the shipetens 


: | and behests, 


During the eleven days I remained in Haifa on my 


- first visit, I had ’Abdw’l-Baha’s personality and spirit 
_ deeply engraved: on my consciousness. All was not 
_ easy to understand; I had many questions; but shortly 


before I left him everything seemed to become very 
- elear, —my spiritual rapport with him was established. 


i ‘The protien of our parting was a most happy one, 
- rather than distressing for me. I felt that I was car- 


rying away with me something which would never be 
destroyed, a spiritual friendship which would grow 


eternally both here and in the realms beyond, 


Early in the summer of 1901, shortly after my first 
visit, conditions arose which necessitated the return of 


*Abdt’l-Baha to the prison city of Akka. There he 


remained for seven years, with the exception of 


short periods upon several occasions when he visited 
the tomb of Bahd’wll4h at Bahji,a mile or two 
aes the city gates. During this period of impri- 


sonment it was at times with the utmost difficulty 


_ that pilgrims were able to see him; nevertheless this 


i, 
- 
MF 
a 
tt 
2 


Bie: 


i 


: 


e 


was a time of great growth in the Cause, *Abdw’l- 
_ Baha worked very diligently with his pen directing 
- the onward march of the Cause in distant lands, and 
_ the result of his labors became apparent among the 


Baha’is in all parts of the world: they were receiving 
from him that quickening spirit of religious enthusiasm 





172, 


and faith which is now so clearly rianiioat) in the i 
growth of his Cause in many parts of the Orient — 
and the Occident. 





Six years elapsed between my first and second visits 


to the Master, ’Abdw’l-Bahaé, during which interim he 
had been confined to the fortress. Knowing that some 


recent pilgrims had remained nine days in Akka, I~ 


had rather set. my heart upon a visit of the same 


length. Reaching Haifa I was told that on account of — 
the troublous conditions surrounding ’Abdt’l-Bahé — 
I would be able to remain with him but a few hours, — 
and that even this short visit could be arranged for — 
with much difficulty. At first the thought of so short 
a visit was a keen distress and disappointment. Upon | 


second thought, however, I realized that ’Abduw’l-Baha 


was above material conditions, although seemingly © 


held by them; that in reality he was free and master 


of the situation and was planning for the best; and — 
that even under these conditions I would be able to © 


get all that my soul needed at that time. 


Whether or not one benefitted by meeting Abatil- | 
Baha depended upon the real or soul contact. It was — 
the open, unprejudiced and seeking souls who united — 
with the soul of ’Abdu’l-Baha. When this spiritual — 
contact was effected, through turning to him in spirit — 
and serving in his Cause, the personal visit to him ~ 
was not essential for enlightenment ; for with spiritual — 
connection between the soul of Abdt’l-Bah4, who was — 
the heart of the Baha'i Cause, and the believers, the — 
members of the body of the Cause were one with — 





173 


~ 


him, Through this unity his divine wisdom and love 


| went forth to all his followers. 


Although this my second visit with A bdw'l-Baha 
was very short, I would not have wished it otherwise. 
Again [ left hin in great joy, with my soul overflow- 


ing with the love of the Kingdom which he so freely 


radiated. ‘The one great lesson which he taught me 
at that time, as I recall it, was dispelling negative 


_ fear with positive assurance. The natural tendency of 
“many people is to close the door of the heart to others, 


and to shut themselves away from people. This be- 


comes a habit, and one which causes much distress 


- and suffering, because humanity is one whole and its 


health and proper functioning depends upon a free and 
frank interchange of thought and good feeling, free 
from repression and constraint. Rather through his 
manner and the way in which he received and treated 
me than from anything which ’Abduw’l-Baha said to me, 


_I saw clearly that the way to serve him in the Cause 


was never to remain aloot from people, but literally 


to attack humanity with a good spirit of love and 


- grace. I saw that it was because of ’Abduw’l-Baha’s 


freedom from constraint, and his fearlessness and friend- 
ly way of approaching people, his frank expression 


Mot love, faith and assurance, that he was able to reach 


the souls of men and impart to them his courage 
and wisdom and to break down the barriers of separ- 


ation. 


ae ogy Zee SL z Ces 
Saree Sel ss ty A a ; 
oe ge ae 2 ‘ 2 


Abdt’l-Bah4 entered into the lives of all about 
him, Through this contact he undoubtedly suffered 


74 


- much, nevertheless he was enabled thus to reach the. \ 
people and to minister to them. His life wasa lesson to — 





all, for in his method one saw the way in which the ~ 


, Bahé't is must live in order to do their htc among : 


men. 

My next visit to ‘Abdi’. Baha was during the olimae 
of his troubles and difficulties, just previous to the fall 
of the old despotic Ottoman power and the re-establish- 


ment of the constitutional government inthe midsummer Me 


= 


of 1908. Upon arriving in Haifa I found that some — 
recent American pilgrims had not been able to meet — 
"Abdt’l-Bahdé, but had returned to America happy in © 
having seen him from a distance as he walked upon | 
an elevated balcony on his house within the fortifica- — 
tions of Akka. Four Arabs, recent converts to the 
faith, had for several months been confined in the 
prison fortress on account of their belief. Others of the © 


Baha'is, in order to avoid pending trouble, had by the 


Master’s advice sought temporary refuge in Hgypt; — 
while those remaining in Syria were all but panic — 
stricken by the trouble and persecutions which were — 


daily descending upon the Baha’i community from the , 


hands of the unscrupulous government officials. 


After I had waited several days in Haifa, word i 


came from ’Abdt’l-Baha for me to go to Akka and — 
proceed to the house of a certain Persian, one of the — 
oldest and most faithful of the believers. In the guise © 
of a native Syrian, wearing fez and aba, with ne 


At 


assistance of one of the oriental Bahd’is, I entered the 
prison city, passing through the Hendon gates alone! 


with a small crowd of comers and goers without being 


+ 
ro S.  e 





alte UAE? Tal i Fe ee ed Whe te ee ea ONS YM Catt ty cL kab Sime ae eye Oo ape yi rare Mees iS 2 eet yee Peat Pot SE RPE Li is ee i Ade Se OR or RR A 
rae teitl ane HS aha 2 Fig Paceel in, , Bait Ayes Fc Vena ie MU Gh eay AM \ aha : ‘ ; ein ‘ fait 
eae HP Hc pO eRe OF inn) : 


\ 


175 


halted. Once established in the privacy of the house 


of the Persian friend, ’Abdt’l-Baha, having the freedom 
of the city within the fortifications, came to see me 
several times. Although under the most severe phys- 
ical difficulties, he was visibly in the greatest spiritual 
strength and power. In strong contrast with the fear 
and terror of his followers for his safety, impossible to 


describe, "Abdw’l-Bahé stood forth in the greatest joy 


ne of soul and tranquility of spirit. He radiated calmness 
and assurance and through his strength the commu- 


ne nity of the friends was saved from despair. ‘The sit- 


uation was dramatic in the extreme. It was shortly 
followed by the tragic downfall of the government 
that for forty years had held ’Abdi’l-Baha a prisoner. 

Several months later I was again permitted to travel 
in Syria and visit Abdw’l-Baha, Although it had not 
been long in point of time since my previous visit, yet 
the conditions surrounding ’Abdti’l-Baha had so changed 
as to make the previous time seem, by comparison, 
to have been in some former decade. ’Abdt’l-Baha 
was free!. The uttermost liberty existed. Akka had 


ceased to be a penal colony and the gates were no 
longer guarded, but wide open to the world. 


The Bahé’is had not yet recovered from their first 


ecstasy of joy over the freedom of ’Abdt’l-Baha, yet 


through all this manifest jubilation he was conducting 


his work as usual. It was then that I realized, to the 


extent of my capacity, how far above this world’s con- 
ditions ’Abdt’l-Bahé stood. Not discouraged by criti- 


 Cism, persecution, calamity; not elated by applause, 
commendation or good fortune, he was apart from 


176. 





the ever changing world of human affairs, upon a : 
firm rock: the spiritual foundation. of the Kingdom. | 
By virtue of this severance from all save God he was 


enabled to change the interest of the people from the 
world’s thought, and from materiality to spirituality, 
and to create in men’s souls the fire of God’s love. 
Almost two years after the great change of gov- 
ernment in Turkey I again went to Syria. In com- 


ing in contact with ’Abdt’l-Baha, each soul receives ; 


the message or the lesson for which it is then at that 


time ready and prepared to receive. Previously my 


attention had been chiefly called to those principles — 


for which ’AbdwW’l-Baha stood, which are so clearly man- — 
ifested in his life, while my mind had not dwelt much 


upon his personality as aman. Now this, which pre- — 


viously I had allowed to pass almost unnoticed, was 
to be my chief lesson. My attention focused upon the 
exquisite beauty of ’Abdu’l-Baha’s personality, — from 
lines of physicai strength and refinement in his face to 
his trained thought and judgment. His dignity and 


carriage, his mental grasp of things both great and © 


small, and the manner in which he dealt with them in 


proportion to their importance, were all of the deepest _ 
interest to me. In his person one saw at once the ~ 


power of the spirit of Bahd’u’ll4h has well as its gentle _ 


refining qualities, — a combination of strength and ~ 
delicacy of masculine and feminine qualities; the bal- 
anced combination of dignity, humility, forcefulness Bt 


and gentleness. 


Whatever was one’s mental conception of Abdt dies ‘4 


Baha, one invariably had to readjust it from time to time, 


Sa 


117 

Under his guidance his followers were growing in spi- 
‘ritual stature, and as the perceptive powers of their 
souls increased, they saw more and more clearly ’Abdw’l- 

Baha’s spiritual power and divine mission. Did one 

visit him many times, each time his former idea of him 


would be laid aside for a clearer and a more definate a 


— conception. 

Again I visited *Abdt’l-Baha in September, 1921, 
during his sojourn in London. ‘There he was in the 
vortex of western civilization, sought by many people 
from various walks of life both high and low. Under 
these conditions his spirit shone forth with greater 

_ prillianey than ever before. It is natural and easy for 
the western mind to weave a halo of sentiment and ro- 
mance about the personality of a persecuted religious 
leader, exiled and imprisoned for his faith under the 
corrupt rule of an oriental despot; but when this same 
Spiritual teacher comes into the limelight of western 

- thought and customs, the people see him from a dif- 
ferent angle; things which they but imagined about 
him are dispelled and his real virtues stand out more 
‘strikingly visible than ever. 

 ~%Abdtwl-Bahaé in London, out of his accustomed orien- 

tal environment, appeared more clearly than ever the 

_ master of the spiritual situation, I heard him give the 

_ first public address that he ever made. This was be- 
fore a vast concourse of about 2,000 souls, gathered 
in the City Temple in London. I was also with him 

_ during a number of personal interviews granted to 

__ various truth seekers. At all times under these unac- — 

-_ customed conditions he drew unto himself people of all 


12 





178 





kinds and types, from the humble and unschooled, to — 
the intelligencia; and through his love, wisdom and ~ 
power, gave them spiritual assurance and satisfaction, — 

Many friends of the Cause in America cherish vivid — 


remembrances of the visit of the Master to the United 


States and Canada in 1912. His travels there lasted : 
for eight months, taking him from coast to coast, and — 
was the most memorable incident in the lives of the — 


Baha’is on that continent, the effect’ of which cannot — 


be expressed in words, the realization coming only as : 
one is conscious of the work and the service to the — 
Cause which ’Abdw’l-Bahé accomplished during that — 
period. Many able pens have recorded the details of 4 
these travels; but more indelible than these annals is — 
the ever living spiritually quickened enthusiasm of faith © 
in the Cause of Baha’u’ll4h, which the Master planted — 
and left growing in the hearts of the believers am the ; 


western world. 


Almost two years after "Abdt’l-Baha left America, — 


I was privileged to visit him again in the Holy Land, 


to find him calm and unagitated in the midst of trou- — 


blous and tumultuous human conditions, It was in — 
the fall of 1914. The war wason. Turkey was get-— 
ting ready to enter the combat, and Syria, then a Turkish f 
domain, was all confusion and disorder, torn by oppo- — 
sing aud conflicting war propaganda, with the people in | 


a deplorable state of fear, anxiety and terror. Amidst ay 


all this confusion the Master ’Abditi’l-Bah& stood for — 
calmness, assurance, and the protection of the people. 

I left Haifa shortly before Turkey went into the 
war, and it was not until January 1921, over six ra 





: 


a 


ag yt 


bi, 





179. 


nd later, that’ I saw ’Abdw’l-Bah4 again, and for the last 


time. ‘The strain of the terrible years of the war with 
_ its psychological tension and physical privations had 


left its traces written upon his benign countenance, 


_' But now all was different in the Holy Land and a 


Fas 


new epoch of tranquility for the Baha’is had arrived. 


The English Government in acknowledgment of the 


services of ’Abdut’1-Baha to the people, and his influence 


s 
wii 
ti] 

Be 


_ in maintaining harmonious relations between adherents 


of the many clashing and opposing religious interests 


in Palestine, had tendered him the order of Knighthood 


of the British Empire, and this he had graciously ac- 


a cepted. From that time he became officially known 





as Sir Abbas I]-Baha’ 

This was the ice of the Mere thirty yeas 
mission, but he was in no way resting from labor. 
His great work had been done; people now were 
flocking to him from all parts of the world, each day 


bringing pilgrims singly and in groups. Under these 
- conditions he was busier than I had seen him on any 
' of my previous visits. It was superhuman strength 


that permitted him to stand the strain of the many 
_ interviews and visits, the multitudinous details of the 
now expanding Gause which necessitated his working 
bias into the night and arising earlyin the morning in 
- order to carry on his corrispondence alone. Through 


; the: human veils of this busy existence one saw tower- 


. ing within him the spiritual forces of Bl Abha, and 
at times one seemed to get a fleeting glimpse into the ~ 







depths of his wisdom. Ephemeral and evanescent as 
was this impression one felt the profoundness of the 


180 





power of the Spirit within him and one was awed in e 


Its presence. 


The Master had gone to Tiberias in Galilee where ~ 
he had work to do, and from there he called me. 


and my brother from Haifa for a two-days visit with 
him before sending us back to America. Our route 


took us to a point on the southern end of the lake 


where we embarked in a boat which took us to the 


town of Tiberias, about midway up the lake on its 
western side. Off to the north we could see Caper- — 


naum, above which in the distance arose the snow 


covered top of Mount Hermon; while between Caper-— | 
naum and Tiberias we could distinguish the crumbling ~ 
ruins of Magdala. The Sea of Gennezareth, which at_ 


times is very rough, was smooth enough to reflect the 
mountains which rise abruptly in places from the 
shores. The entire scene was one of tranquility and 
peace, conducive to meditation and thought which 


took us back over the nineteen hundred years when 


the Master, Jesus, and his disciples walked and taught 
upon those shores. And we were approaching that 


same ground upon which now stood ’Abdt’l-Bahd4, — 


- upon whose shoulders was the mantle of the Lord, the 


one who in this day voiced the message of the King- — 
dom, calling all men of all nations to the table of the — 
Lord; the one who had drawn into one faith peoples — 
of all religions, laying a foundation in the heart of — 
humanity and building a Cause which is destined to — 
grow until it encompasses the world, fulfilling the | 
promises of the Christ and the prophets of the past in oT 


i 





% 
BY 
a 





181 


ushering in the millenial age of happiness and peace 
upon earth! _ 
Forty-eight hours replete with divine significances, 


- immersed in the atmosphere of his love, and then we 
were receiving ’Abdt’l-Baha’s parting embrace, in- 


structions and blessing, and turning our faces from 
him on our westward way to our field of work in 


_ America. As always upon leaving the Master my 
heart was happy. We had attained to his meeting and 
_ our hearts were satisfied. Our cups had been filled to 
overflowing with his spirit and his love and we were 
starting forth on our mission to share this divine 
_ bounty with those who were hungering and thirsting 


for the faith and assurance which had been so boun- 
teously vouchsafed to us. Our blessing was complete. 
For what more could we have wished? 


. My last visit to the Holy Land was a year after 
parting with the Master. In the meanwhile he had 


ascended to the Supreme Concourse, and the hearts of 


his friends were heavy and weighed down with the 
- grief of this separation. I approached Haifa sick at 


heart, feeling too depressed for words, knowing in my 


consciousness of soul that ’Abdu’l-Bahaé’s Cause would 
_ live and prosper in the world, but without understand- 
- ing or knowing how this was to be accomplished, 


f 


A few hours after my arrival the beloved Guardian 


of the Cause, Shoghi Effendi, gave me a copy of the 


_ Master’s Will and Testament to read and to study. 
? This was the first access I had had to this most holy 






Datenaent Like all of the Bahé’ ‘is ie foun there 
spiritual confirmation in the great divine plan, - xt) 
way outlined by the Master for the continued | { 
dance and furtherance of his Cause. Furthermore 
the institutions of that plan under the guidance of t 
appointed Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, I found the ch 

nel through which ’Abdu’l-Baha’s life-giving ‘spi 
he now functioning and continuing to civ divine life 





























a of all nations, races, and religions. 


Ne: Diy DINARS HET Te a hy AIMEE Pa WAN Mi ss cL Pol pk 
AA ec ae AL a i to MD! 39 





183 


Catalog of Bahai Literature 


Writings of Baha’u’llah 


Hidden Words, the essence of the eames 3 of all the oa 
Paper covers . : 
In’ leather. 2 
‘The Book of Assurance, (Tablet of ie apni the 
oneness of all the Prophets and their ap abel as the 
expression of the Will of God. : 
Tablets of Baha’u "14h, (Tarazat, The World, Words of 
' Paradise, Tajall’iyat, Glad Tidings, pee social and 
spiritual principles of the new age . 
Seven Valleys, the stages ie Dy eects. on the path of 
spiritual knowledge ; i 


Writings of ’Abdd’l-Baha 


Promulgation of Universal Peace, public addresses delivered 
throughout the United States in 1912, Volume One . 
The Wisdom of ’Abdi’I-Bah4, a brief but ee Haein 
of his is ae Paper covers . ; ; 
In cloth ' 
Some Anatered! Duevione: an ercasiter of Eindarente: 
spiritual and philosophic problems : ; 
_ Tablets of ’Abda’l-Baha, intimate letters tien in fe reply to 
questions addressed by individuals and groups. : 
_ Mysterious Forces of Civilization, a work addressed to the 
_ people of Persia nearly foriy it ago to show them the 
way to true progress : : 
Divine Philosophy, selected aaitesee delivered in Paris on 
ih. the eve of the Great War 
_ *Abdi’l-Bah4 in London, a record of public and privat 
addresses delivered in 1911. 
* *Abdi’l-Bah4 in New York, Dia i Secletlod aaieceees 
‘ delivered at Columbia University and various churches’and - 
ae public meetings in 1912 : AAR as ees ah 


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184. 





Tablet to the Committee’ on Peace, The Hague, a letter a hu 
written in 1917 to reveal the foundations of ecb) el 
peace 


ay 
Wisdom Talks of *AbAG'L- Baha, setetied Padrerwes a Onspiritual | 
and scientific subjects. . 4 : . ee 


Compilations 
Baha’i Scriptures, . nae eum MRTG oC 


Books about the Baha’i Movement zn" 
The Baha’i Proofs, by Mirza Abul Faz! Gulpaygan .- : $ 1.50 
The Brilliant Proof, by Mirza Abul Fazl Guipaygan . .§ .25° 
Baha’u’llah and the New Era, by J. E. Esslemont. . .§ 1.50. 
Baha’u’lla4h and His Message, by J. E. Esslemont. . .§ .20. 
The Oriental Rose, by Mary Hanford Ford, . ; 4 + $808 
Unity Triumphant, by Elizabeth Herrick,  . Be 44 be 
Baha’ism: The Modern Social Religion, by Haren Holley, . $ 2.50 
Baha’i: The Spirit of the Age, by Horace Holley. ‘ » $ 2.50. 
The Revelation of Baha’w’ilah, by Isabella D. Brittingham . .15, 


A Series of twelve articles introductory to the study of The 
Baha’i Teachings, by Charles Mason Remey. 


184 pages - bound in Cloth. . : i yh: og 0.50 


10; copies),)\”..: : - $ 4.00 
The Universal Biteclousness of The Baha’ ‘Revelation, ban 
Charles Mason Remey. i 


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60 pages - paper board covers. . ., 4 he Oe ns 
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These book can be purchased from the 


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P. 0. Box 48 Grand Central Station 
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DATE DUE 


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